Budget 2021-22: Greening as we Grow
Published 21 June 2021
Greater environmental protections have been enacted in Moreton Bay Regional Council’s 2021-22 Budget, to protect native habitats and wildlife as the region’s population booms.
A total of $61 million will be invested into parks and the environment this financial year - which will see around 150,000 trees planted, provide $8.6 million for environmental programs, invest $800,0000 rehabilitating natural waterways and continue Australia’s most successful koala breeding program at The Mill.
Mayor Peter Flannery said it was just as important for Council to provide habitat for wildlife as providing houses for people.
“The feedback we received through our landmark Moreton Says community engagement survey was resoundingly clear; locals want to see a significant increase in environmental protections in the face of growth and development,” Mayor Flannery said.
“To ensure we get this balance right we’re going to develop an all new Environment and Sustainability Strategy this financial year.
“We are the custodians of our iconic coastlines and spectacular hinterland, and we take this responsibility absolutely seriously.
“These are also the major tourism and lifestyle drawcards in our region, so in this way investing in our environment is an investment in our economic success.
“This year we are ramping-up our efforts to purchase and protect vulnerable environments and wildlife habitats to prevent them being developed.
“We now have $2.9 million available for land acquisitions, and green infrastructure maintenance and renewal, which includes our Land Buyback Program to acquire, restore and rehabilitate land to expand our wildlife corridors.
“Koalas are widespread across the region, so conservation initiatives will continue from partnering with the koala research team at Endeavour Veterinary Ecology to planting 90,000 trees within The Mill’s 110 hectares of future wildlife and environmental corridors.
“The 2019-20 summer bushfires were devastating for parts of Australia, especially for koalas and their habitat, so we’re making it our duty to protect them more than ever.
“We will continue greening our region as the population grows and continue our community consultation to ensure we’re meeting expectations regarding environment and sustainability in our region.”
Environmental Programs in 2021-22 Budget:
- $2.9 million available for land acquisitions, green infrastructure maintenance, and renewal including the Land Buyback Program
- $1.25 million on constructing green infrastructure such as fauna crossings
- $1.2 million for koala welfare monitoring
- $1 million upgrading seawalls
- $800,000 rehabilitating and revegetating natural waterways
- $309,000 for koala conservation and implementation of the koala plan
- $200,000 towards beach nourishment programs
- $50,000 to trial wildlife sensitive lighting for turtles at Woorim Beach