Howard Salkow

Senior Journalist

A petition challenging Council’s recently approved Healthy Reef Partnership with Qantas Future Planet, GreenCollar and Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD) has attracted more than 500 signatories with the petitioner expecting the number to grow.

Russell O’Doherty, the petitioner and president of Daintree Renewable Energy Inc., said he was delighted with the response, but not surprised given the negative reaction surrounding the decision.

“I am now hoping that Mayor Julia Leu agrees to community meetings in Port Douglas and Mossman to discuss the issue,” said Mr O’Doherty.

“Once I know that meetings have been organised, I will then deliver the petition to the Minister for Local Governments Stirling Hinchliffe and Douglas Shire CEO Mark Stoermer.”

Last week, councillor candidate Kym Rowley, in a letter to Mayor Leu, requested a meeting allowing Council to fully inform ratepayers of “what this is all about and the opportunity to ask questions.

“As this agreement is near the final stages, your urgent attention to this matter would be appreciated,” he wrote.

Mayor Leu, in her reply, said she was “happy to do so and (I) will get back to you in the near future.”

Many Newsport readers, who are opposed to the partnership which enables Council to become carbon neutral by purchasing premium carbon offsets located in Rawbelle, Queensland, have raised a number of questions they believe deserve explanation.

A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.