Media Release, Saturday 2 November 2002

The Save Ningaloo Campaign has called for the public to rally at 11am on 1 December at the Fremantle Esplanade.

This decision to rally comes after the EPA failed on Monday to recommend outright that government reject the marina resort proposal, despite raising major concerns about its environmental impacts.

The lack of decisiveness on the part of the EPA has led to a great deal of confusion and a key aspect of the rally will be clearly to inform government of the community's determination to ensure that sustainable development must prevail over destructive development at Ningaloo.

Paul Gamblin, Save Ningaloo Campaign spokesperson, said, "The EPA recommends against less than 1% of proposals so it wasn't a surprise that it didn't give a decisive 'no' this time. However, it came very close to recommending against the development and expressed grave concerns about it."

"Unfortunately, by not recommending 'no,' the EPA has left a path open for the developers who are already clinking their champagne glasses and claiming victory."

"What the EPA said is that this development should not go ahead unless government subsidises it to the tune of millions of dollars, because its impacts would be so far-reaching."

"This means that if the development goes ahead, we would have the astonishing situation of the community not wanting it, but having to pay for it anyway, just so that some developers can make a killing."

"It has come to the point where Government must just 'say no' to this proposal."

"This whole saga is becoming farcical and we need this government to show strong leadership and to shake itself free from the shackles of the develop-at-all-costs mentality of the 1980s which spawned this proposal. After all, this government was elected on its promises to pursue intelligent, sustainable development and to listen to the community."

"We urge all Western Australians to join us on 1 December at the Fremantle Esplanade at 11am to show their opposition to this proposal which is a barrier to the kind of responsible development that the area so desperately needs."

Media Contact: Paul Gamblin, Save Ningaloo campaign spokesperson