Amelia Willmer
Cambanoora Gorge protestors have intensified their protest.
They have started a petition to the Queensland Parliament and they are also lodging a formal complaint to the Queensland Ombudsman.
They are asking the Ombudsman to investigate many issues relating to the Southern Downs Regional Council’s $2.2 million project to concrete three sensitive river crossings at Cambanoora Gorge..
The protest group says it already has hundreds of signatures from an earlier petition to the council calling for the halt to the cementing of the crossings.
That petition to the council closes this Friday.
The second petition, to State Parliament, has just been launched.
“Because we fear the council will ignore our petition to them, we have started a second one, this time to the State Parliament,” said protest group spokesperson Peter George.
“The council has still not even acknowledged receiving the formal complaint we lodged a month ago. We have heard absolutely nothing. So so we are not expecting the council to take our petition very seriously when we submit it next week.
“We are all well aware that this council is currently under active investigation by the Queensland Ombudsman for alleged maladministration on several fronts, including alleged failure to properly and professionally communicate with residents.
“That is exactly what is happening to us. So our group has decided that we, too, will be submitting a compliant to the Ombudsman this week.
“Githabul Traditional owners are also fighting the council and have succeeded in temporarily stopping the planned roadwork .
“Githabul people are also supporting the electronic petition to State Parliament.“
To sign the State Parliament petition click on www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=3864
Or click on this link.
