Not for profit: Council's timely declaration

The Conservation Council of Western Australia Inc. is in the process of drafting a new bill of rights to coincide with its 40th anniversary.

Developed in collaboration with the council’s affiliate members, which number nearly 80, the draft bill will be reviewed by members of the council’s board at its general meeting later this month and, once ratified, will be presented to the state government.

Conservation Council WA president and Murdoch University professor, Philip Jennings, said the council felt it would be timely to compile a new bill.

“We felt that, to mark the 40th anniversary, it was a useful thing to reissue the bill of rights,” Professor Jennings said.

“We’re saying sustainability, bio-diversity, global warming and doing something significant about the water issue are the big issues the government should be focusing on.”

The council’s existing bill of rights was drawn up in 1970 and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as a commitment to increase the size of WA’s conservation estate.

As part of the new bill, the council will issue a number of proposals, including the establishment of sustainability legislation and a sustainability commission.

It will also request that the government update the Wildlife Conservation Act 1949, which the council says is out of date and does not protect certain endangered species or ecological communities.

“The government has a draft biodiversity conservation bill it promised to bring into parliament in its first term, which is hasn’t done,” Professor Jennings said.

The draft biodiversity bill is due to be introduced this year and the council will also request the government finalise its state biodiversity strategy.

The council’s policies on climate change include a renewable energy target and incentives for industry and the public to install energy efficient devices, as well as a government commitment to an emissions trading scheme.

Professor Jennings said existing water legislation also needed to be updated.

“We’re very strongly opposed to the proposed Kimberley pipeline and Yarragadee development, and we’d like to see the government research other proposals, like the Wellington dam and desalination plant,” he said.

Wilderness Society state coordinator David MacKenzie, whose organisation is a member of the Conservation Council, says WA’s current environmental laws date back more than 50 years and need to be updated to address biodiversity conservation.

“I think, above all, the policy needs to ensure good science is employed in protecting our unique plants and animals,” he said.

“While climate change is a critical issue, I think we’ve got to make sure the issue of biodiversity does not get left behind.”

Mr MacKenzie said the new bill of rights would capture a consensus of opinion among environmental groups in WA.

“Effectively, what the Conservation Council produces will be the conservation movement speaking with one voice, outlining a charter for 2007 and beyond,” he said.

“These are fundamental principles that can ensure our viability into the future, not an agenda which is unreasonable or which cannot be fulfilled.”

Community group Environment House energy auditor, Rob Gulley, agreed the council’s bill would provide a representative voice for WA environmental groups.

While the government had a state sustainability strategy in place, there were no set targets or timelines, according to Mr Gulley.

 “Whether the state government takes notice, they should see some wisdom in there, and well-founded concerns,” he said.

“Australia is generally recognised as one of the biggest emitters per capita in the world, and within that, WA is the biggest among the states and territories.”