MARGARET River environmentalists asked local council to back them in their Save Mowen Forest petition to state parliament this week.
The group of about 30 people who attended ordinary council meeting to hear the verdict on Wednesday were not disappointed.
The Shire of Augusta Margaret River Council voted 6-1 to endorse the petition, which will be presented to the WA Legislative Council on Thursday, November 27. The petition holds more than 1600 signatures from people hoping to cease all logging in the Mowen state forest.
Save Mowen Forest campaigner Naomi Godden was happy with the council’s decision.
“We’ve got a few more steps to go, but it was a good start,” she said.
Shire president and councillor Mike Smart voted against the motion to support the petition as he believed the ceasing of logging in Mowen Forest would remove jobs from people in Manjimup and Nannup.
Cr Smart also argued that, with all the funding Augusta-Margaret River has received from State Government for projects including the Augusta Boat Harbour and Surfers Point redevelopment, it seemed inappropriate to turn around and protest against the logging of Mowen Forest, which belongs to the state.
“If I’m being true to myself and want to ask for more money, I won’t support the motion event though it will probably go ahead,” he said.
He also pointed out that the Shire has lobbied for the Margaret River Perimeter Road works to start, which includes 1.5 hectares of general land clearing. However, local residents are yet to protest against this “because most of you want a bypass road around Margaret River”, he said.
Councillor Felicity Haynes, who originally brought the motion to support the petition to council, responded to Cr Smart’s arguments.
“The bypass has been considered to be beneficial to Margaret River in making it healthier to stay and walk,” she said.
In comparison, she said the Mowen Forest logging was doing “more harm than good”.
The project will barely profit State Government, and the jobs of people in the industry do not rely on the Mowen Forest because the logging of the forest is unsustainable, she said.
Cr Haynes requested that the facts presented in Wednesday’s council meeting be included in the petition when it is tabled at parliament on Thursday.
Councillor Ian Earl was especially impressed with research presented by resident Peter Lane, which aimed to outline the financial benefits, or lack thereof, of the logging.
“The Government should get a hold of these facts and tell us why Peter’s wrong,” Cr Earl said.
