THE emu’s located at the former Australian Defence Industries (ADI) site will stay home for Christmas, following the intervention of Minster for the Environment Robyn Parker and Londonderry MP Bart Bassett, which has put a stop to their removal.
Mr Bassett has called on Lend Lease, the developers of Jordan Springs, to engage with Penrith City Council and the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW (OEH), to work through matters holding up the transfer of land to National Parks and Wildlife, which has been set aside for open space.
The 1500 ha site has 900 hectares of regenerating bushland, which includes the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland and is part of the Windsor Downs Nature Reserve.
Mr Bassett said the intervention presented an opportunity to engage in broader discussions about the site’s long term management plan.
‘‘Lend Lease need to honour their commitments made and sit down with stakeholders and work through the issues so the land can be transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service,’’ he said. ‘‘It was abundantly clear that the OEH had failed to properly consult with stakeholders prior to granting a licence to remove the native emu population and I commend Ms Parker who listened to the concerns raised with her.’’
Mr Bassett said the Liberal/Nationals government delivered on an election commitment to transfer an additional 181 hectares of land from the former Air Services Australia Site and now was the right time for Lend Lease and other stakeholders to work things out.
‘‘We are getting on with the job and stand ready to assist stakeholders in reaching a final agreement to transfer the land, which forms part of the 900 hectare Wianamatta Regional Park, for the use as public recreation space and a nature reserve to protect pristine bushland and the natural environment for future generations,’’ he said.
The National Parks and Wildlife Act was amended in 2011 to give the site special classification as a nature reserve, which provides the highest level of environmental protection.
