The Save Our Keppel Island Taskforce (SOKIT) formed after the successful Great Keppel Island Redevelopment information night at WARU Gardens recently. The group will be promoting this World Heritage Great Barrier Reef island’s natural beauty and the significant environmental values of its forests, beaches, reefs and wildlife. The group is also promoting development of the island’s existing abandoned tourism infrastructure without causing loss of these values. A beautiful book, Precious Great Keppel Island, illustrating GKI’s natural beauty, the diversity of flora and fauna, rare and endangered species and promoting the most appropriate use of currently undeveloped areas is being launched shortly.  The book is available for sale through the CCC. Stay tuned for more information on the SOKIT campaign for responsible development of this beautiful World Heritage area continental island.  See SOKIT website at http://www.careforkeppel.org.au/

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The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requires the proponent to provide the draft EIS to the Minister and obtain the Minister’s approval for publication of the draft EIS.  Upon receipt of the draft EIS the department will ensure that it adequately addresses the Australian Government’s Guidelines for an Environmental Impact Statement for the Great Keppel Island Tourism and Marina Development that were released in February 2011. 

To ensure that all interested stakeholders have sufficient time to comment on the draft EIS, the Australian Government is requiring a substantial public comment period of 60 business days.

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CCC believe that the scale of the plan is still over-the-top and inappropriate for this island.  Even though Tower claim that it is only "a quarter" of the size of the original plan, it still includes - a 250 room hotel, 300 apartments, 750 villas, 250 berth marina, one 18 hole golf course, etc.  However the plan is so poorly documented that we cannot fathom what is going to be built and where.  (See Anomolies over areas)

Do we really want a real estate scheme of suburban land development spread over much of Great Keppel Island?  Do we want the delicate shallows of Putney Beach dredged to great depth and lined with rocks for yet another marina?  Do we want another "copy cat" Qld coastal resort?

The Federal and State governments have set the rules for the EIS in a combined set of Terms of Reference (state) and tailored Guidelines (federal). These documents tell scientists what issues need to be addressed in their EIS. 

We encourage the public to read the INITIAL ADVICE STATEMENT (IAS) for the GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND RESORT REVITALISATION PLAN dated August 2010.    

Once the EIS has been completed and published, a comment period will be available.   We urge you to let your local state or federal member know what you think of this plan.

Capricorn Conservation Council's position on Tower's plan is -

• CCC supports the re-development of the resort on the existing 38 hectare site.  
• CCC opposes the development of Lot 21 (875 ha) for villas and a golf course.  We support the state government’s assessment that Lot 21 be reserved for conservation purposes. The current lease of Lot 21 is for recreation and public access, not real estate.
• CCC opposes the building of a marina at Putney Beach due to the damage that could be caused to the sensitive marine environment in the vicinity including fringing coral reefs.  We believe a floating jetty at Fisherman’s beach would be more appropriate.

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CCC has made a number of submissions to state and federal governments concerning this project:-

CCC's EPBC submission for Plan 3 >> (2.4 mb)

CCC's submission to the State Govt re EIS Terms of Ref. (170kb)

CCC's submission to the Federal Govt re EIS Tailored Guidelines (140kb)

GKI Background >>

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