Blue Wedges

Last updated

Blue Wedges is a conservation organisation in conflict with Australia's Victorian government policy to deepen shipping channels in Port Phillip and the large scale development of Ramsar listed Westernport. The Blue Wedges is a coalition of over 65 environmental and bay user groups opposed to development in the Melbourne Bays that they deem to be unsustainable, such as the Port of Melbourne Corporation's Channel Deepening Project. The Blue Wedges Coalition includes angling groups and peak bodies, professional fishing associations, diving and charter operators along with the more traditional coastal protection groups and bayside industry sectors.[ citation needed ] The Blue Wedges Coalition is supported in its goal to protect the bays by other environmental entities including the Victorian National Parks Association, Australian Conservation Foundation, Friends of the Earth, The Wilderness Society, Environment Victoria, Port Phillip Conservation Council and Western Region Environment Centre under a joint statement issued by these groups opposing the project and calling for action to stop the project from the Victorian Government. [ citation needed ]

Contents

In Victoria, the name "Blue Wedges" was created after a previous "Green Wedges" government policy for rural and forest conservation around the edges of the expanding Melbourne metropolitan region. Green Wedges is an already existing part of the governments environmental policy.[ citation needed ]

In December 2007 it was announced that Blue Wedges took action in the Federal Court against the Commonwealth to stop it signing off on the deepening shipping channels project. The case was heard in January 2008, [1] with the Federal Court deciding against Blue Wedges on 15 January 2008. [2] On 30 January 2008, Blue Wedges won a reprieve in the Federal Court with a hearing date of 20 February 2008. [3] After mediation between Blue Wedges and the Port of Melbourne Corporation (the body responsible for the deepening operations) on 6 February 2008, [4] limited operations were allowed to commence on 8 February 2008. [5]

Jenny Warfe, the president of the Blue Wedges was interviewed[ when? ] on local radio [6] about the denials of the subsequent beach erosion removing sand from Portsea front beach after completion of the Port Phillip Bay's channel deepening dredging program. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Geelong is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarra River</span> River in Victoria, Australia

The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland, Victoria</span> City in Victoria, Australia

Portland is a city in Victoria, Australia, and is the oldest European settlement in the state. It is also the main urban centre in the Shire of Glenelg and is located on Portland Bay. As of the 2021 census the population was 10,016, increasing from a population of 9,712 taken at the 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edithvale, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Edithvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Edithvale recorded a population of 6,276 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamstown, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km (6.8 mi) south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. Williamstown recorded a population of 14,407 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Port</span>

Western Port, commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is dominated by two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. At the time it was renamed, its position was west of other known ports and bays, but Western Port has become something of a misnomer as it lies just to the east of the larger Port Phillip and the city of Melbourne. It is visited by Australian fur seals, whales and dolphins, as well as many migratory waders and seabirds. It is listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Oakland</span> Container ship facility in Oakland, California

The Port of Oakland is a major container ship facility located in Oakland, California, in the San Francisco Bay. It was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. As of 2011 it was the fifth busiest container port in the United States, behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, Newark, and Savannah. Development of an intermodal container handling system in 2002 after over a decade of planning and construction positions the Port of Oakland for further expansion of the West Coast freight market share. In 2019 it ranked 8th in the United States in the category of containers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Melbourne</span> Port

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself. Since 1 July 2003, the Port of Melbourne has been managed by the Port of Melbourne Corporation, a statutory corporation created by the State of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Melbourne</span> Overview of transport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, consists of several interlinking modes. Melbourne is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network, trains and buses, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include walking, cycling and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as taxis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Desalination Plant</span>

The Victorian Desalination Plant is a water desalination plant in Dalyston, on the Bass Coast in southern Victoria, Australia. The project was announced by Premier Steve Bracks in June 2007, at the height of the millennium drought when Melbourne's water storage levels dropped to 28.4%, a drop of more than 20% from the previous year. Increased winter-spring rains after mid-2007 took water storage levels above 40%, but it was not until 2011 that storages returned to pre-2006 levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project</span>

The Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project (CDP) began on 8 February 2008 to deepen the shipping channels leading to Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eynesbury, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Eynesbury is a locality in Victoria, Australia, 44 km (27 mi) west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melton and Wyndham local government areas. Eynesbury recorded a population of 2,838 at the 2021 census.

The Port of Hastings Development Authority is an authority of the Government of Victoria, Australia. The authority is responsible for the development and management of the port of Hastings located in Western Port Bay approximately 72 kilometres to the south east of Melbourne. The port is expected to be developed by the authority as a major new container port in competition with the Port of Melbourne, Australia's busiest container port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Rice</span> Australian politician

Janet Elizabeth Rice is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Greens and has served as a Senator for Victoria since 2014. She was a co-founder of the Victorian Greens and also served on the Maribyrnong City Council from 2003 to 2008, including a term as mayor.

The Melbourne Harbor Trust was established in 1877 to improve and operate port facilities for the growing city of Melbourne. It was superseded by the Port of Melbourne Authority in 1978 and later by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.

The Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne) (VPCM) is a statutory authority of the Government of Victoria created to succeed the Port of Melbourne Corporation as the government regulator of shipping in Port Phillip Bay after the lease of the Port of Melbourne in 2016. In 2021, it was merged with the Victorian Regional Channels Authority into a new agency, Ports Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Regional Channels Authority</span> Government authority in Victoria, Australia

The Victorian Regional Channels Authority (VRCA) is the channel management authority of the Victorian Government for the Port of Geelong, the Port of Portland, the Port of Hastings, and 13 other regional ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Melbourne</span> Melbourne, Australia

Like many urban areas, Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, Australia, faces environmental issues, many related to the city's large urban footprint and urban sprawl and the demand for infrastructure and services.

References

  1. The Age Newspaper, 5 Dec 2007, Court threat to channel deepening
  2. The Age Newspaper, 15 Jan 2008, Bay dredge gets go-ahead
  3. The Age Newspaper, 30 Jan 2008, Blue Wedges win delays dredging
  4. ABC News Online, 6 Feb 2008, Limited Port Phillip Bay dredging gets go-ahead
  5. ABC News Online, 8 Feb 2008, Port Phillip dredging starts
  6. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 July 2013, Port Phillip dredging Archived 19 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  7. The Age Newspaper, 7 July 2013, Beach loss linked to dredging