Costs Judgement - Drywound to pay part of other parties' costs for the Appeal

The Planning and Environment Court today (28 February 2017) issued the judgement on the parties' applications for costs in relation to the Drywound Pty Ltd Appeal against the Council's decision in May 2015 to refuse the Drywound Application for a motocross facility in the Adare/Vinegar Hill area.

You can find a copy of the judgement here (until such time as it appears on the eCourts website, when a link to it will be posted here).

The summary of the judgement is given below.  The "appellant" is Drywound Pty Ltd (Colby Steer's company); the "respondent" is the Lockyer Valley Regional Council; the "co-respondents" are the group of individual community members who had legal representation and engaged expert witnesses (i.e. the group supported by Lockyer Community Action Inc.) - Keep Lockyer Rural Inc. is not included because they did not have legal representation or engage expert witnesses.

The summary:

"For the reasons given:
(i) the appellant's application for costs is dismissed;
(ii)  the appellant is to pay the respondent's costs of the appellant's costs application, assessed on a standard basis;
(iii) the appellant is to pay the represented co-respondents by election's costs of the proceeding from 14 December 2016, assessed on the standard basis;
(iv) the appellant is to pay the respondent's costs of the proceeding:
      A. from 26 September 2016 to 13 December 2016 on the standard basis; and
      B. from 14 December 2016 on an indemnity basis; and
(v) the respondent's application for costs is otherwise dismissed."

Of course there is a difference between a direction from the court that Drywound Pty Ltd should pay the costs of a party to the Appeal and those costs actually being paid.

See the full judgement for a reasoned argument of how these costs were arrived at.  There is an explanation below of what constitutes "standard basis" and "indemnity basis" for calculating costs.

Accessing Other Documents Filed During the Appeal

If you want to access other documents that were filed during the Appeal you can go to the eCourts website, scroll down to Party Details and type "Drywound Pty Ltd" (without the " ") in the Last/Company Name field.  Hit Return or click the "search" button at the bottom of the page.  Then click on "View file details" and scroll down to Documents.

You can download any of the pdf files under the heading "Pages" - unfortunately the Document Type and Document Description aren't very helpful in indicating what the contents of a file will be.

Costs in Legal Proceedings

 Costs in legal proceedings can be assessed in two different ways: standard basis and indemnity basis.  The following explanation is from Costs Orders in Queensland Courts.

Standard basis of assessment

Unless otherwise specified, costs are assessed on a standard basis. This means the amount of costs to be paid are calculated by taking into account only those costs actually incurred by the party which were necessary or proper for the attainment of justice or for enforcement or defence of rights (rule 702, UCPR). The costs assessor must apply the court's scales of costs which are set out in the UCPR.

As a result, standard costs only compensate the successful party for part of the fees (around 60-75%) they pay to their solicitor. If the solicitor has charged more for work done than that specified in the scale of costs, or if there is an additional amount to be paid to the solicitor under the retainer, then this will not be included in an assessment of costs on a standard basis.

Indemnity basis of assessment

If costs are awarded on an indemnity basis, then costs are calculated by taking into account all costs reasonably incurred and of a reasonable amount, having regard to:
(a) The court's scale of fees; (b) Any costs agreement between the party to whom the costs are payable and the party's solicitor; and (c) Charges ordinarily payable by a client to a solicitor for the work (rule 703, UCPR).

The only ground for disallowing items of indemnity costs is if they are of an unreasonable amount or were unreasonably incurred.

Costs may be awarded on an indemnity basis where the court finds that the court proceeding had no legal basis. If the court awards costs to the successful party on an indemnity basis, the unsuccessful party may need to pay up to 90-95% of the fees and costs actually incurred by the successful party.

What kind of track would it have been anyway?

One of the strange features of the Drywound Appeal against the Lockyer Valley Regional Council's decision to refuse the application for a motocross facility at Adare was the number of proposed track designs that were brought up during the Appeal process - 10 in all, between mid-April and mid-December 2016.  Over one period of 170 days there was a new track layout every 19 days on average.

Colby Steer, the sole Director of Drywound, put quite a bit of emphasis on his expertise in motocross track design and construction at one point in the Appeal.

But why so many track designs?  That's a bit hard to understand.  Clearly there was a problem with getting the noise levels at nearby houses and the Lockyer National Park down to something vaguely acceptable.  But there was no consistent incremental improvement in the noise characteristics of the designs put forward, despite Colby Steer's self-proclaimed expertise as a track designer.

Was it "gaming" the Appeal process to confuse the other parties' experts, or to draw it out and make it more expensive for the Council and the Co-respondents? We will never know.  If it was this, it backfired because it was Colby Steer who ran out of money in the end (see here).

Did all this revision of track designs produce a better track for riders?  You be the judge.

This was the last track design - put to the Court in early December 2016

There are two significant features of this design.  One is the three dark green features with the black lines in their middles.  The other is the seven sections of the track outlined in red.

The dark green features are three earth bunds, 5m high and 12m wide at the base, with a 3m high noise barrier on top.  That makes a total barrier height of 8m, with three of these barriers having a total length of 575m.

These massive barriers were introduced about a year into the Appeal process when it became clear that getting noise levels down to anything like acceptable was going to be very difficult.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a spectator watching the bikes on this track - or a parent of a young rider, trying to keep an anxious eye on the kid as he/she goes around the track.  From most positions, around half of the track would be obscured by the middle 8m high barrier.

Or as a rider you come belting around that tight left-hand corner at the end of the bund in the south-western part of the track - but you can't get a view around the end of the bund to see if anyone has come off on the track up ahead.  Adds a new element to extreme sport.

What about those red sections of track?

They are also about noise reduction.  As everyone knows, when bikes go fast they make more noise, and throttle use (opening it all the way out) also makes more noise.  Two characteristics of a good ride, but they're noisy.  Track in the red sections has been subjected to "acoustic treatments" by eliminating jumps and introducing obstacles designed to reduce speed and throttle use.  Nearly 20% (1/5) of the total track length has had this treatment.

Not exactly an exciting ride, and I doubt there's another adult track in South-east Queensland that has this extent of fun-spoiling "acoustic treatment".

One other important limitation that can't be seen in this track design is the restrictions that would have to be placed on changes to the track layout. This would clearly matter to riders - surveys done in Victoria indicate that regular modifications to track layout are one of the features that keeps riders coming back to a track.

However, because of the emphasis on getting noise at nearby dwellings and the National Park down to acceptable levels, and the recognition that track direction and the positions of jumps have an effect on noise levels, if the motocross facility had been permitted at Adare there would have had to be conditions requiring the track layout not to be modified.  Boring!!

Maybe if the operation hadn't been refused permission it would soon have gone broke once riders got bored with the track.  And that's without factoring in the impact of the recently opened Willowbank MX track in the Ispwich Motorsports Precinct.

Addressing misconceptions about the approval and appeal process

There is currently a lot of talk on the closed Facebook page group Memories of Gatton about the proposed motocross facility and the opposition to it.  Unfortunately a lot of what is being said is based on misunderstandings or misinformation.

I think it's time to address some of the claims being made.

Only six people are opposing the motocross facility

232 people formally opposed the proposal during the Development Application process.

The advertising of the proposal in late November 2014 led to 232 objecting submissions being lodged with the Lockyer Valley Regional Council by the cut-off date in mid-December.  This was an incredible response, given that because of the way it was advertised the proposal did not begin to be known by more than the immediate neighbours until there were only 10 days of the public notification process remaining.  Had the process gone on longer there would have been many more objecting submissions.

Those objecting submissions will be considered by the Judge of the Planning and Environment Court who will decide whether or not the appeal should be allowed.

Only two supporting submissions were made.

When the developer (technically Drywound Pty Ltd, but it's sole shareholder is Colby Steer) lodged an Appeal in the Planning and Environment Court against the Council's unanimous refusal of the development application, the Lockyer Valley Regional Council was the "Respondent" i.e. they formally opposed the appeal which sought to overturn their decision.

Six members of the community nominated to become "Co-respondents" to the appeal.  That is, they agreed to respond alongside the Council, to oppose the appeal.  In effect, they stand as the representatives of the much larger group of those in the community opposing the motocross facility.

This is a particularly brave stance for ordinary people like retirees, farmers, and small business owners, because in 2012 the LNP State government overturned a long-standing principle that people who stand up for their rights in town planning appeals should only have to pay their own costs.  The LNP changed the law so that there is the potential for co-respondents to be required to pay the costs of the appellant.  Had this not been the case there would likely have been several tens of co-respondents, as in the Bella Creek moto park appeal in the Gympie Regional Council area some years ago, prior to the LNP changes.  By the way, like many motocross proposals these days the Bella Creek proposal did not go ahead.

In addition, a local community group also elected to become a Co-respondent in the appeal.

None of this changes the fact that the main respondent to the appeal is the Council, acting on behalf of the Lockyer Valley community, because they made a decision to refuse the application based on what was in the best interests of the whole community, not just the wishes of a single-interest group.

"The six complainants have hardly spent a dime..."

The six co-respondents have to raise the money to pay their solicitor, barrister, noise expert, koala ecology expert, and town planning expert.  As you would expect, this is an expensive proposition.

Luckily, because there is so much opposition to the proposed motocross facility, the community has been willing to assist with the costs and a large number of people (including the co-respondents) have contributed several tens of thousands of dollars.

As the number of objecting submissions showed, the proposal is opposed by a community, not by six individuals.

The motocross proposal comes from a "locally owned and operated business"

The proposal comes from a company with only one shareholder.

That company is not registered to an address in the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area.

The sole shareholder does not live in the Lockyer Valley Region and does not own any operating business in the area.

Those opposing the motocross proposal are putting a financial burden on the community by way of Council's legal costs

Once someone lodges an appeal, the Council has no option but to oppose an appeal against their properly made decision.

That the Council took nearly six months to assess and evaluate the proposal shows that they did not make their decision in haste or carelessly.  Further, the Council's decision was unanimous.  It wasn't a "near thing" - every Councillor was opposed to the proposal.  Not only that, the Council's planning staff, who submitted their report to the Council meeting where the decision was made, recommended, for a wide variety of reasons, that the development not be approved.

Thus, the situation is this:

• a record number of objecting submissions were received by the Council; 
• the Council planning staff recommended for a range of reasons that the development not be approved; and 
• every Councillor voted to refuse the development application;

 and in the face of this, the developer (Colby Steer) still decided to lodge an appeal!

It's clearly not those opposing the proposal who have been the cause of the Council's expenses in fighting this appeal.

People don't understand why there is opposition to the motocross proposal

Colby Steer has posted the Council's grounds for continuing to oppose the appeal on the Memories of Gatton website.  Admittedly those grounds are framed in difficult to understand town planning terms, but that is because the application was made under the Gatton Planning Scheme which uses the same language.

To get a more digestible version of the reasons you could go to the minutes of the Council meeting where the application was refused and read the staff report which recommended against approval.

You could also have gone into the Council office any time in the nearly six months when the application was under consideration and had a look at the submissions from the 232 people who don't want this development to go ahead.

Or to get a feel for the reality of motocross impacts you could have a look at some of the heartfelt comments of people who have had to live with motocross operations in their area.  There's more here  and here.

A lot of these impacts on people living with motocross activities have to do with noise.  It often isn't until people have to live with motocross noise that they realise that the problem isn't just the loudness.  Check this out for an overview of the health impacts of motocross noise.

We won!!

Sorry it has taken a few days to get around to updating the situation here.

We won!!

After so many months of not really feeling that we were getting anywhere, we still had no good feel for which way the decision would go, right up until the Council's Assessment Manager read out the Council staff recommendations on the proposal.

What a fantastic win for the community and the environment!  And so good to see that it was unanimous, though it would have been difficult to imagine another outcome after the summary of the staff findings in relation to town planning issues.


It took a while to fully believe that we had won.  Then so many people to thank.  An incredible number of people and organisations have supported us, provided advice on different issues, and taken their own initiatives in response to the motocross proposal.

If you are among the (hopefully small) number who haven't yet received a phone call or email thanking you for your support, please take this as a heartfelt "thank you" for your input.  The Adare / Vinegar Hill community - and those in the wider Lockyer Valley community who understand the real and varied impacts of motocross operations - owe you all a debt of gratitude.

I'll post the Council staff report and recommendations on this website when I get a chance.

Of course there is still the possibility of an appeal by the applicant, but to judge from the verbal summary of the report given before the Councillors voted on the application, it sounds like a pretty tight argument.  We will be ready to deal with an appeal if it happens.

A surprise letter from a Councillor - and some advice

Nowadays it is very rare to receive a personal letter in the mail, and much more unusual to receive a carefully handwritten letter.

The other day I received the following from an ex-Councillor in Tenterfield Shire.  I should point out that I had not contacted John prior to receiving his letter and did not know of his existence.  He does not say how he got my address.  I have John's permission to pass this on:

My name is John Macnish and I was a councillor on Tenterfield Shire Council when we made the ill informed and wrong decision to allow that Mx bike park called Emu Creek Extreme Retreat.[material removed here that may identify certain individuals]

On reflection we should have been more diligent and saved the local people down there 10 years of torment as this ‘business’ was totally inappropriate for the area.  I guess the message from all of this is to closely scrutinize the council proceedings when dealing with your case.  Councillors are not infallible and when the council staff, for whatever reason, do not follow correct procedures, poor decisions can be made and these can be very hard to reverse.

The locals at Emu Creek under Christine and Brian Baker did a fantastic job of organising the protests and coordinating the action against this park and through their persistence got this venue closed.

All the very best in your endeavours

John Macnish
+++

John's reference to “10 years of torment” reminded me of the file that I have been compiling for the last few months of people's experiences of living with motocross in many different places.  You can see some selected quotes here.

Motocross Training Facility or Trojan Horse?

Trojan horse (n): a trick or stratagem whereby something that has been made to appear desirable actually contains within it something harmful, dangerous or threatening.

The application for a Material Change of Use of the land at the end of Adare Road north of Gatton to allow a "motocross training facility" to be established describes a two-stage development, which in total appears to be considerably beyond motocross training.  

Let's take a look at different aspects of the application, starting with Stage 1 and Stage 2.  Keep the Trojan Horse in mind.



Stage 1 will involve:

• creation and operation of 1 Motocross Track;
• providing a sealed access from the property frontage to the track area, including a culvert creek crossing;
• constructing and operating a canteen for up to 150 people;
• constructing a toilet suitable for 150 people per day;
• operating hours from Tuesday to Friday 4.00pm to 9.00pm; and Saturday and Sunday 9.00am to 4.00pm;
• traffic volume around opening and closing times of up to 150 vehicles per hour.

The Application document for Stage 1 stands out in a number of ways, few of them good.  For the purposes of this discussion it is notable that it has been cleverly "trimmed" so that there is virtually nothing in the Stage 1 application which is going to require the involvement of State or Commonwealth government agencies.  And it's wrapped in a warm and fuzzy "training facility" blanket.




But Stage 2 will add:

• four more Motocross Tracks, to make a total capacity of 200 bikes at a time on the tracks;
• camping and cabin accommodation for 100 people;
• expanded toilet and shower amenities;
• expanded canteen;
• a caretaker's residence;
• "occasional" "event weekends" (racing) when the opening hours on Saturday and Sunday will be from 9.00am to 9.00pm;
• more noisy nights (6/week instead of 4/week when events are held);
• noise going later at night because of campers and cabin occupants;
• at least five times the traffic on local roads (5 x no. of bikes + campers).

All of the harder to sell stuff is in Stage 2:

• 200 bikes at one time;
• the possibility of clearing vegetation to fit in the extra tracks, the camping and accommodation;
• the expanded sewage treatment and disposal; and particularly
• the "events", which can only be a weasel word for someone who doesn't want to say "race meetings" out loud.  

The extreme noise produced by motocross bikes means that it is becoming more and more difficult to gain permission for establishing a motocross track, let alone multiple tracks.  Including racing events into the mix makes it even harder.   In general it is difficult to get permission for motor racing of any kind anywhere near a sizeable population.  This is particularly the case where the racing events will be frequent and will affect a significant number of residences.  Many jurisdictions require motor racing to be confined to special precincts.

This property at Adare where the proposed motocross activity would be located is not in such a precinct, and the area would be unlikely to be declared a motor racing precinct through any transparent and public process.  

Maybe labelling Stage 1 as a "training facility" might just sneak in? 



But, if this is about “training", where are the trainers and trainees?

The Adare Road Stage 1 application is for a "motocross training facility".   However, the words "train", "trainer(s)" and "trainee(s)" do not appear anywhere in the Application document.  Neither is there any reference to "pupil(s)", "student(s)" (at least, not in relation to the proposed activity), "practise"/"practice" (except in "Practice/Training Sessions").

There will be a full-time staff of four - but their list of duties do not include the words "training" or "coaching", and there is no mention of any intention to employ part-time trainers.

In a Gatton Star article on 17 December, the owner of the applicant company made much of the intention to train and provide coaching for "kids" and "recreational beginners" in a "family" sport.  But, the following relevant words DO NOT appear in the Application: child, kids, recreational beginners, beginners, or coaching.  "Children" occurs, but not in relation to the proposed motocross activity.  "Family" occurs but only in relation to biological taxonomy.  Remember, this is in addition to the missing words: train, trainer(s), trainee(s), pupil(s), student(s), practise and practice as mentioned above.

No trainers?  No trainees?

Also, if this is about a “training facility” where is the demand and business case?

So far as can be ascertained, there are no other motocross operations in Australia that are solely training facilities.  Apparently no one else has identified sufficient market demand to base a motocross business solely on training.  This would be something new and different.   

Strangely, the application contains not a single word about the need that the proposed "motocross training facility" will be serving.  Nothing about the size of the market or the demographics and ability to pay of the potential client base. In fact there's no demonstration of need or likely financial viability at all.

This is important because "training" implies something different to what users get at a recreational motocross facility.

It implies instruction, personal attention from qualified trainers, and care and attention to safety, because it is catering in part for newcomers to the sport who can be expected occasionally to do stupid things.  But even for more advanced trainees, "training" implies that they are being taken to a higher level of skill, being pushed beyond their current abilities and limits.  Again, extra service, care and individual attention beyond what is the norm at a recreational motocross facility.  And presumably extra risk (remember this is an extreme sport) and higher insurance premiums.

In every way, this extra level of attention and care would unavoidably mean extra costs for a business running this kind of training, and this extra cost will have to be passed on in higher charges to patrons than are being levied by existing recreational motocross tracks.

So a demonstrated demand and a business case are important - if only to convince us that this really is intended to be a training facility, and not just a cover for a recreational motocross track that will later become a race event facility.

The application does say that the number of patrons on the site at any one time will be limited to 150 but does not say specifically that these will be trainees.  In fact, if there were to be 150 trainees at one time, you'd expect to see a quite a lot of trainers on the staff, at least on weekends when you maybe could get 150 actual trainees.

The need to provide an adequate ratio of trainers to trainees is important, certainly to the proponent, and certainly to people who send their kids along to a training facility to learn an extreme sport.  It is no less important to those of us who might be impacted by a recreational/racing motocross track masquerading as a training facility.

No identified market?  None of the training-related words in the Application?  No estimate of number of trainees at any one time? No trainers? No business case?




Then there's "practice": what’s the difference between practice and recreational motocross riding? 

The application makes it clear that the activities that will be undertaken at all times in Stage 1 will be "Practice/Training Sessions".

  Maybe there will be "practice" but without any training?  How does that kind of practice differ from the kind of recreational riding that is done at any motocross track?  It seems like the same activity to me.  Same motocross bikes going round and round, up and down.  Same 'as fast as they can go' riding. Same very, very noisy activity - the type of activity that is very difficult to get approved in any area where there are 900 people living within four kilometres.



Trojan Horse?  Couldn't happen - the Council wouldn't be so silly?

It's happened before - remember Black Duck Valley (three deaths, multiple serious injuries, massive noise impact on local people - that Black Duck Valley) - well that was permitted by Council as a Material Change of Use for Outdoor Entertainment Off Road Education.

What it's like to live with motocross

I've been compiling a file for the last few months of people's experiences living with motocross in many different places, not just in South East Queensland but all over Australia.  Here are some selected quotes gathered from personal interviews, messages people have sent to me, and other sources.

I hope you will read all of them and think about the lives of the many people behind these statements - and then think about the impact on the community at Adare and Vinegar Hill in the Lockyer Valley.

“The loss of peace and quiet and our rights to quiet enjoyment of our property.”

“The barrage of threats from the owners and users of the establishment, toward us living here in the valley ...”

“If you are anywhere outside the house and visible from the road you are likely to get abuse hurled at you by passing motocross traffic.”

“We had people in passing cars throwing empty stubbies at cattle in the paddock.  There were stubbies, plastic bottles, bongs and other rubbish in the crops near the road so that after it was ploughed it was impossible to walk barefoot to adjust the irrigation.  In one paddock beside the road I picked up about 12 bongs, made from plastic soft-drink bottles and bits of hose, in one day.”

“The health and wellbeing of the community where the stress and strain ... put strains on marriages and people’s health.”

“The valuations of our properties dropping with nobody wanting to buy as soon as they heard the noise from the place or heard there was a Mx Park down the road.”

“After five hours of the noise you’d gladly take a chainsaw over there and have a go at them.”

“You’re saying, ‘God, are the motorbikes going to start up?’ So even though they’re not there, you’re on edge because you don’t know... you think, ‘next ten minutes will tell’ ....  And like I say, it’s not [just] when the noise is going, you’re on edge all the time.”

“Friends and family do not want to come and visit anymore as we never know if we are going to be subjected to offensive noise  .... No social life anymore.”  

“We live 7.5km from Echo Valley, luckily it only operates 2-3 times per month as the noise is sometimes incredibly offensive”.

I've lived near there [at Vinegar Hill] previously for the peaceful natural landscape and wildlife. I would like to think this is still valued and protected.  I've experienced the fairly typical behaviours and attitudes of dirt bike enthusiasts and have come away discouraged and dismayed about the self centered uncaring nature of this "sport".

“We have first-hand experience of the excessive noise created from 200+ motocross bikes after camping at the Western Trailhead at Wyaralong Dam in July this year for a horse trail ride. The Western Trailhead campsite is less than two kilometres from the Queensland Moto Park and the noise created from the motocross park disturbed the amenity and in many ways ruined the experience of camping in an otherwise quiet and peaceful location.”

“Living near a motocross track destroys your life in every way - emotionally, financially, and your quality of life.  It causes enormous stress.  This is your home, you have nowhere else to go.”  

“When I travel to the family farm there is constant traffic on the road which at times when groups [going to or from Qld Moto Park] are travelling on convoy and don't know the road has been very dangerous at times. Also there are the usual testosterone filled P-platers that can't handle the narrow windy road and there have been several near misses.”

“We’ve had people in the farm sheds, even driving in at 3am, looking around.  There have been fences pushed over and bikes riding around our property.”

“The traffic on the road is horrific - thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies - they drive the way they ride.  Four times I came very close to an accident because of them.  The creek crossing was a major risk area.”

“Kids without licences and on unregistered bikes would ride for miles on back roads and across country, cutting through fences if necessary, to avoid the coppers on the road to the park.”

“I've experienced first hand the impact that persistent motocross noise and activities can have on a community. ... The noise was insistent and unsettling for all neighbours, particularly as many had young families or had moved to the area for its' lifestyle value - quiet and peaceful. The end result was a lengthy (years) legal battle between Council, the Motocross enthusiasts and the surrounding landholders. Three families sold their properties and left the homes where they had intended to settle, including my own, because of the noise and disrespect of the motocross users and lack of action from Council. It is not a small issue that makes a family give up the home they have built and the place their children have grown up in. I would strongly advise Council to reconsider the application for the Motocross track at Adare and to listen to the concern of the local residents.”.

“Stressful, depressing, suffering physical & mental abuse, tension is causing me personal relationship conflicts, lack of relaxation is health threatening, (hypertension) violation of my chosen lifestyle & of raping me of my rights to enjoy my home in my chosen location. I have lost my composure on numerous occasions screaming out obscenities above the OFFENSIVE disturbing MX moto bike NOISE pleading for the NOISE to STOP. I DO NOT LIKE THE WAY THIS NOISE TORTURE EFFECTS ME> live on acreage & do not want to have to lock myself away from this offensive noise with radio turned up full blast to disguise this invasive torturous din that envelopes me on my own property.”

Where's the news about the motocross track campaign?

Sorry, things have been pretty hectic lately, so it has been a while since I had time to post anything here about what has been happening.

You won't have seen anything in the Gatton Star either.

Unfortunately back in the middle of December last year the Gatton Star decided to impose a gag on the topic of the proposed motocross track until the application goes to Councillors for debate (on the basis that some letters to the editor which had been submitted to them “contained personal attacks and unsubstantiated claims, which could be judged as defamatory or slanderous”).

They haven't explained how the Star are not able to either bin letters to the editor which appear to be legally suspect, or refer them to their lawyers for advice.  They are part of the APN group of regional newspapers, and it's hard to imagine the group doesn't have specialist lawyers on tap, if not on staff, to deal with this sort of thing.

They say that they are "conscious of the importance of encouraging debate on this during the public comment period".  And that they will gladly resume publication after the application goes before the Council.  What good is debate after the Council has made a decision?  That shows a disingenuous ignorance of the meaning of the term "public comment period" - it's not the time when the public at large are commenting about and discussing the proposal (obviously), but the small window of time when the public are able to lodge submissions with the Council in relation to a Development Application.  There has been a lot of public comment since the window for lodging submissions closed - but there would have been a whole lot more if the Star had fulfilled its obligations as a community newspaper.

This is a major local issue.  How many Development Applications get 232 submissions opposing the proposed development
 

Even supposing that this is a reasonable position for a local newspaper to take, are they so ignorant of the processes of our local government that they are not aware that this matter is being raised in "workshops" between Councillors and Council staff?  It is "before" the Council and has been for a long time.
 

Cast your mind back to the days of the Gas Power Station fight.  Do you remember the Star not reporting on it or not publishing letters to the editor because the matter hadn't gone to the Councillors for discussion?  Or not publishing anything because the appeal hadn't been heard by the Land and Environment Court?

Way back in my environmental activist days I'd often be part of a group being shown around mining revegetation sites by their PR people.  I quickly learned that if they wanted me to look in a certain direction there was almost always something behind me, or just over the nearest ridge, that they didn't want seen.

Defamatory or slanderous letters to the editor?? 

I think I'll go and look over that ridge.

Should Councillors talk to constituents to hear their views on development applications?

Ever since the Lockyer Valley Mayor addressed a community meeting last December, we have been hearing that Councillors need to be very careful about meeting with people objecting to the motocross application, or being seen to allocate more time to objectors than to the applicant, lest they be accused of bias or impartiality.

It was suggested at the 18 March Council meeting that Councillors who might consider accepting an invitation to a community meeting where they could hear the remainder of a presentation on community concerns about the motocross proposal and have the opportunity to ask questions that they should "seek advice".

This whole line or argument seems to fly in the face of Councillors' responsibilities and duties, and even to be contrary to the provisions of the Local Government Act.  I've lost count of the number of people who were dumbfounded when they heard that this could even be an issue.  The way it has been presented seems to cast Councillors in the role of a "jury" which should not be contaminated by seeking information or understanding outside of that provided by the Council staff (and possibly also the applicant).  Clearly Councillors are not a jury - they are elected representatives of their constituents.

So my attention was grabbed last night when there was an item on the TV news showing Brisbane City Councillor Helen Abrahams addressing a rally in West End against a highrise development application, and apparently siding with the protesters.  Didn't she realise the risks she was taking?

This morning I checked out her website - she's even inviting people to discuss the details of the application with her!  Here's an excerpt from her website page which deals with this application:

The application is Impact Assessable and so neighbours will be notified and it will be advertised on the property boundary. There is a right of appeal of Council’s decision. You can view the development application at The Gabba Ward Office, 2/63 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba or at a Customer Service Centre. Alternatively you can view the application on line at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and click on view development applications and follow the prompts.

You may wish to make a submission on the application. The submission should be addressed to Mr Colin Jensen, CEO, Brisbane City Council, GPO Box 1434, Brisbane Q 4001. If you wish to discuss the details of this application with Councillor Helen Abrahams please ring 3403 2160.

How could the situation be so different in the Lockyer Valley Region?

Helen Abrahams has been a Councillor since 2003, thus she should be pretty knowledgeable about potential issues of bias and partiality which might arise when dealing with her constituents.  So I phoned her and asked  whether her close involvement with her constituents' issues has ever been raised as a possible basis for charges of bias or lack of impartiality within the Brisbane City Council.

Her response was one of surprise at the questions, and incredulity when I described the warnings issued to LVRC Councillors.  Her view is that, as a Councillor, her constituents' problems are her problems.  She believes that she  needs to know about them and understand them, and to advocate on behalf of her constituents.  I gathered from what she said that doing this is not in any way in conflict with the well informed impartiality that she brings to bear in the Council decision-making process as a Councillor.  It is what is expected of Councillors and her role has never been challenged in terms of partiality or of bias. 

Brisbane City Council operates under the City of Brisbane Act 2010 - but, much of that Act (including the parts dealing with Councillors' responsibilities, conflict of interest, and impartiality) mirror the Local Government Act 2009.  Neither piece of legislation has any prohibitions on Councillors informing themselves of the views and expectations of their constituents, even in relation to development applications. There's nothing about allocating "equal time" to constituents and applicants either.

On that basis, you'd have to wonder where this "policy" that is being applied to the LVR Councillors comes from, and whose interests it is serving.

The proposed Adare motocross facility exceeds even its own maximum noise limits

The Noise Impact Assessment presented in the Development Application for the Adare motocross facility has some interesting bits in it.  Here are a few.

Background Noise

Background (ambient) noise measurements were done over a one week period in August 2014.

The table below presents three different measures of background noise, extracted from the same data set.  These represent the three main ways of measuring background noise.

The L90 measurements are similar to the values recorded for background noise at properties near the Emu Creek motocross track (before it ceased operating).  They are more or less what would be expected in a quiet rural/natural environment such as we have here in Adare/Vinegar Hill.

In such a rural/natural environment with high amenity values (and high resident expectations) for "peace and quiet" then the maximum acceptable imposed noise level should be no more than background+5dB.  This standard has been used at other locations in Queensland and in NSW.

So, taking Leq readings, the maximum acceptable noise levels for daytime operation (7am to 6pm) would be 37+5dB = 42dB.  And for evenings (6pm to 10pm) it would be 30+5dB = 35dB.  Note that background noise levels were measured in the open air, so indoor background levels would be lower and imposed noise maxima would also be lower than these figures.

Predicted Noise Levels at Houses

The table below is a key to the locations of "Receivers" (i.e. houses) for which noise levels were predicted by the acoustic model used by the consultant.  The two tables after it refer to Receivers No. 1-18, and the street addresses of these are given in the right-hand column of the table below.

Receiver Locations for Noise Predictions in Following Tables (none of the directions given are accurate - the consultant fails to understand that "due" means "exactly" in this context)

These are the predicted noise levels for daytime operation (9am to 4pm).  Note that the Applicant has chosen to adopt the criteria of 50dB for daytime operation and 35dB for evening operation. No justification is provided for this in the Application, and there has been no attempt to relate these values to measured background levels or to take into account annoyance effects of motocross noise.

Nevertheless, if we just take the Applicant's maximum noise values, the 50dB value is exceeded at two locations outdoors (whereas background+5=42 is exceeded at eight locations).  For indoors, the Applicant's criterion of 35dB is exceeded at eight locations.

The Applicant has used the same maximum noise levels for evening operation as he used for daytime (50dB outdoors and 35dB indoors).  This is completely unacceptable, considering that the evening background values he measured are 7dB(Leq) lower than daytime backgrounds.  The proposed outdoor 50dB maximum is equalled or exceeded at 11 locations, and the indoor 35dB maximum is exceeded at 14 of the 18 locations.

In summary, the Applicant is not able to meet even his own unjustifiably high maximum noise limits - and I have bee advised that these are 15-20dB(A) higher than those used by another Council.

The Bella Creek Motorsports Facility is not going to happen!!

This news came in around the middle of March but I forgot to report it. The proposed development, in the Gympie Regional Council area, would have included five motocross tracks, as well as four-wheel-drive tracks, camping, etc.

The Bella Residents Action Group made the announcement on their Facebook page.

Well...for all of you who have been waiting with bated breath and are not on a mailing list - we are now well past the period within which an appeal against the refusal of Mr Canty's DA had to have been lodged. 

A conversation with Council has confirmed that there has been NO such lodgement. The 2nd application for the Bella Creek motorsports facility is now as dead as the first. After 4 1/2 years we can finally take a deep breath and exhale. 

Thank you to all who have been following and offering support in our battle to prevent this misplaced idea from becoming a reality, you have been wonderful. After such a long time it seems hard to believe that this may finally be behind us; in light of the proponents past ability to offer up unpleasant surprises, we remain somewhat wary. We are nonetheless looking forward to drinking that champagne we've been storing. Raise a toast wherever you are and give yourselves a pat on the back, you deserve it!

The Gympie Regional Council's Planning and Development Section report on the application can be found here.  It has a number of interesting things to say, many of which are relevant to the proposal for a motocross operation at Adare in the Lockyer Valley.

Noise and Amenity

... there remains considerable doubt that the proposed development can operate without causing significant adverse noise impacts given the scale of the proposed development.
 
The development is proposed in a quiet rural area that is removed from the urban area. The application has not adequately demonstrated that noise from the development will not cause a nuisance to the immediate area. Further, it is likely that the traffic that could be generated is estimated to significantly increase when compared to the current low volumes of traffic in the locality, which will also cause adverse impacts upon the amenity and character of the area.

The locality is characterised by rural, rural residential and education uses and has a high level of amenity. Consequently, the development is likely to cause significant adverse changes to the acoustic environment of adjoining and surrounding premises and significantly impact upon the existing amenity of the locality.
 
The application was subject to a large number of objections [205] who have raised valid concerns about the proposal’s impact on the amenity of the area. ...

Concerns relate to character of the area being threatened, intrusion in lifestyle for a rural community, loss of privacy, unlawful entry onto neighbouring properties and inconsistencies with rural and rural residential land use in the area. ...

The concerns raised in the submissions are outlined in the report the majority of which raise valid planning issues. The number of and quality of the submissions, demonstrate that the development is contrary to community expectations and is not in the public interest.

Impact on Koala Population

In relation to the koala population on the Applicant's land that would be subjected to adverse impacts from the proposed activity, the Council Planning report says:

Implementation of these [proposed] measures could be conditioned on any approval. However, the protection of the environmental values on the site cannot be guaranteed in regards to maximising protection of Koala Habitat Areas and having no adverse environmental impacts.

Community Benefit and the Need for the Development

Referring to the questions of community benefit and need for the development the report says:

It is accepted that the proposed development will have some community benefit. However, the applicant has not provided any justification that there is a need for the facility, in particular at this location.

 and

The applicant has not provided supporting information from an economic expert about the level of economic need for this type of facility. However, it is accepted that there is some community benefit in providing for this type of facility. However, the planning need for the facility at this location has not been demonstrated.
 

Number of Submissions

One of the grounds on which the Gypmie Councillors refused the application was that:
 
Having regard to the number of objections and concerns expressed in the submissions received, the proposed development is contrary to community expectations and is not in the public interest.

As mentioned above, the Bella Creek proposal gave rise to 205 objecting submissions of which 57% were from the Gympie Regional Council area.  The Adare proposal has given rise to 232 objecting submissions 95% of which came from the Lockyer Valley Region.

In addition to the 205 objecting submissions, the Gympie Regional Council received 582 submissions in support of the Bella Creek proposal (85% of them from outside the Council area).  The Adare motocross proposal elicited only two (2) supporting submissions.

Gympie Regional Council's Conclusion

Having regard to the planning scheme as a whole and the level of conflict identified, there are not sufficient grounds to allow the development despite the conflict. Consequently, the development application should be refused.

Allowable noise levels should be related to the frequency of the noise event

It is not uncommon for regulatory authorities to consider the frequency of noise events in determining the allowable noise levels.  From memory, this was the approach taken by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in determining how often the McAdam Park motocross facility at Barrabool would be allowed to operate during the "wind-up" phase prior to their legally mandated closure.


The extract below is from a New Zealand study.

"To prepare this noise management plan an event schedule was developed in an attempt to achieve a balance between how loud each motor racing event was and how often they occur. In the example given, Council decided that 50 events with a noise level of “background plus 5dB” would be permitted in any 12 month period. Where events were likely to be noisier than this, the number of events would reduce in accordance with Graph 1 below which is taken from the Guide. An event that exceeds the background noise level by 8dBA would count as two events. An excess of 30dBA is deemed to have a noise exposure equivalent to 10 events."

dB above background vs annual events

Citation: Marshall Day Acoustics (2007).  Ruapuna Park and Christchurch Kart Club Noise Assessment. Christchurch, New Zealand.  http://resources.ccc.govt.nz/files/TheCouncil/policiesreportsstrategies/districtplanning/cityplan/proposedplanchanges/PC52AcousticsReportOctober2007.pdf

p.16

A good overview of noise issues, measurement and regulation

Here's a really good technical (but very readable) article on noise: it's impacts on health; the measurement of different aspects of noise; enforcement of compliance with noise controls; and a whole lot more.

A whole lot of it is relevant to motocross noise, even though the article is focussed on traffic noise, and there are many things that will give you ideas to follow up in relation to motocross noise issues.

Just as a small taste of a much longer document:

"Unwanted noise has wide-ranging effects on human health to a far greater extent than merely to cause damage to hearing. Noise results in cardiovascular issues, sleep disturbance, headaches, nausea, impaired task functioning, depression and is implicated in many other health problems as well as inducing anti-social behaviours. (references 3,4,12,13,17,23) These unwanted health problems occur with noise levels which are a lot less loud than that which would cause hearing damage. Effects are also cumulative. The costs to health-care systems is enormous and researchers are finding more and more stress related problems that can be attributed to noise.

Governments, city planners and local councils are, in general, aware of the noise problem, and try to provide urban planning guidelines and rules to mitigate noise, but prefer to take 'baby-steps' and are over-cautious in order to avoid the creation of higher compliance costs. In most cases, authorities do not apply sufficient urgency or big enough solutions to the problem. There are already a large number of studies and comprehensive research documents published on the subject. No more are needed. Instead, some definitive progress is called for, which will certainly have a cost. However, studies have already shown that the costs of healthcare triggered by unwanted noise is more than a hundred times than what is currently spent on reducing or mitigating noise from vehicular traffic."

The article is from the website of a New Zealand company (Axino-tech Consulting and Services Ltd) and appears to be offered as a contribution to wider understanding of noise issues.  There should be more companies sharing their expertise in such an altruistic way.

Motocross traffic on Adare Road - we stand to lose more than you think

I've posted before about the unsuitability of Adare Road for large amounts of traffic.

There's more to that issue and I'll come back to it in another post.

There are unsuspected losses associated with traffic on Adare Road that we face if the proposed motocross development is allowed to go ahead.

One of these relates to the Gatton Light Horse Troop.  You might be familiar with their role in the Anzac Day celebrations in Gatton and other localities in the Lockyer Valley.

The Gatton Light Horse Troop in the Anzac Day parade in 2012.  A friend in Germany sent this to me, which shows how far the knowledge of our Light Horse Troop has spread.

What you wouldn't know, unless you are out toward the end of Adare Road early on a Saturday or Sunday, is that the Horse Paddock beside Adare Road,on the right just before the Redbank Creek Crossing, is one of their training grounds.

It's a stirring sight to see them practising mounted military manoeuvres at full speed.

If there are up to 150 vehicles travelling down Adare Road on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the Horse Paddock will become unsuitable for Light Horse training exercises.

There's another group in the community (this time a much wider community) who know of the Adare Road Horse Paddock.  They are the birdwatchers, and the trees and bushes around the edges of the Horse Paddock are one of several regular birding spots for many visitors.

Adare road has been visited with increasing regularity by local, Brisbane, interstate and overseas birders over the last 20 years.  The location features regularly in online lists of the interesting or rare species which have been seen there.

Two of the visitors in this group were from Japan

It continues to be something of a 'hot-spot' where visitors can find a selection of scarcer species which can be difficult to locate elsewhere in the region.

There are many birdwatchers who visit Adare Road regularly, some every couple of months, some every week.  There are also bird clubs which make annual trips to the area.

A lot of the most interesting birding is done along the road verges, including along the sides of the Redbank Creek crossing.  Motocross traffic in the mornings and evenings (when most birders visit) is going to turn birdwatching along Adare Road into an extreme sport - not to mention being extremely unpleasant with all the dust and noise.  It can be pretty confidently predicted that the beginning of motocross traffic will be the beginning of the end of birdwatching on Adare Road.

MX tracks and their poor relationships with neighbours and local government

The quote below is from the introduction to a review of the relationships between motocross tracks and their neighbours and local government agencies which includes reviews of the histories of eight existing or proposed motocross tracks in America.

At the Oct 21 Conditional Use Hearing regarding the Thomas Conditional Use proposal for motocross/camping in rural Clackamas County, testimony was given in support of the proposal based on claims that motocross was “family friendly”. A man stated that Washougal MX had expensive homes in the vicinity of the MX tracks and that local residents and the commercial MX business had happy relationships.

Extensive research into the functioning and relationships multiple MX facilities, whether permitted or unpermitted, have with their neighbors and with their County planning departments proves conclusively that it is totally false to claim motocross events can happily co-exist with residential areas.

Every case I researched, including Washougal MX, proved that  residents within earshot of MX tracks are miserable and that they consider motocross a serious nuisance which steals their quality of life and degrades and pollutes land. Counties have extra work loads to enforce MX code infractions and have ongoing struggles related to traffic, crowd control, noise, and regulating environmental damage. Local police and emergency services are impacted as well.

Family-oriented
 Any claims that the proposed Adare motocross track will be family oriented don't take into account the impacts on families among the 900+ people living in the vicinity of the track.

Emergency Services
It's worth noting the mention of impacts on police and emergency services as well.  That has also been the experience with the Black Duck Valley and the Wyaralong tracks in Southeast Queensland.

Noise as an Amenity Impact
There's a nice quote from a county examiner (sort of like our LVRC Assessment Manager) in relation to noise [LVRC please note]:

pg. 24 item h. iii: “Even when the noise does not drown out conversation or disturb people sleeping or exceed 57 dbA, it increases the noise levels frequently enough and in amounts and for a duration that is enough to detract from the character of the area as rural residential. The examiner finds that such an impact is significantly detrimental to people nearest the site.”

Noise issues are NOT just about loudness as measured in decibels!  They are about loss of rural/natural amenity, and about stress and anxiety caused by ongoing, long-term exposure to noise which is not part of the local environment.

Loudness Requirements Can Stop Motocross
But, in terms of loudness of MX noise, the article quotes a complaint that: … imposed sound limitations that are so restrictive they effectively deny the permit application.”

As if the fact that MX operations can't comply with mandated noise limits is somehow the fault of the legislators, or is a direct attack on MX as a business, instead of being a standard of what is reasonable noise in a particular environment.

Emu Creek track in the Tenterfield Council area is one example.  After a lot of time, court cases and expense the Tenterfield Council imposed noise and operating time limits on the motocross activities at Emu Creek, which they claim they could not meet from a business point of view.  They are still in business and seem to have moved to mountain bike and Bicycle MX activities to replace the motocross element of their custom.

It's also worth noting that in the case of the Emu Creek motocross, Tenterfield Council monitored maximum noise levels [L(A)max], rather than averaged noise levels over a (usually long) period [L(A)eq], because they said it was more objective when long-term, long period noise was considered.  The Adare proponent's Noise Study uses averaged noise levels, which always appear more favourable to the proponent's case.

Costs to Council for Ongoing Compliance Action
The case studies refer to costs to all parties for the application (including appeals) procedures and for ongoing compliance.  In our own area, the Emu Creek case mentioned above is said to have cost the Tenterfield Council in excess of $66,000 for compliance monitoring and court costs before it stopped the noise nuisance.

Aspects of motocross tracks

Just a couple of things that came across my computer screen while researching fire risks posed by motocross tracks - if you're wondering, the general consensus seems to be "high".

That's the sign the Motorcycling Australia requires to be posted at motocross venues as part of its "Guidelines for Inspection and Licensing of Tracks".  I didn't see any mention of that in the Gatton Star article promoting the track to kids and families.

And then, on Molalla Blog I found a long and sad story about what it is like live near a motocross track.  If you want an idea of how many people are out there combing the internet for material on motocross tracks, Molalla has had 62,478 "hits".  This little blog has had 1,110 hits in six weeks.  I hope not to be writing about motocross in the Lockyer 61,000 hits from now.

The following are just a few excerpts from the blog.

"In essence, the lack of code enforcement, the total disregard Thomas has shown for the land and the lives of the people who surround the site, Thomas’s failure to get permits before creating a facility and the fact that this “park” has already been commercially promoted now has created a state of high anxiety between local residents and the motocross users. Thomas has no connection to the local community since he lives in Happy Valley instead of at the subject property.

The tension and fear caused by the motocross users has completely changed the way local residents must live their lives. The culture of commercial motocross is not conducive to the safety, piece of mind, commercial farm/forest activities and the general well being of local long time residents."
 ...
"All of the neighbors I have met are distressed about the years they have had to endure the noise, dust, trash, worries about fire and general disruption to their legal farm/forest activities due to the motocross track in their midst. Rural people like to spend lots of time outdoors, especially in the dry months, now families hesitate to invite visitors over for summer events for fear of being subjected to noise and dust. Families can’t trust the safety of children playing in the woods and fields adjoining tracks; if the motocross “fans’ are willing to verbally abuse and menace neighbors, what might they do to children or adults who confront them if trespassing should occur? Given the camping with up to 250 site users/4 days week proposed by Thomas, and the location near private adjoining woods and fields that aren’t readily visible from owners’ residences, there is little doubt that “camping” use would eventually spill over fence lines as park “users” seek new grounds to explore."
 ...
 "I contacted numerous other Counties about existing motocross facilities and it is obvious that even permitted facilities have on going problems with complaints from neighbors. The growing piles of complaints against Mr. Thomas, including the finding of “guilty” on a noise violation in May, prove that the community would have little faith in Mr. Thomas’s interest in complying with “conditions, and that the community would further endanger itself by having to serve as the conditional use code “police’ in a place far from the offices of code enforcement, agency reps, and the Sheriff.

The August 5, 2010 “Findings and Final Order” for the Thomas Noise Control Citation No. 10-2531 noted “five pages of CCOM detail reports showing numerous complaints of noise” on the Thomas property – yet Thomas, who failed to appear, sent a message that he was “not aware of the noise ordinance”."
 ...
"... it is clear that MX has been poisoning its own well around the world for years."

Koalas in Adare and Vinegar Hill - under serious threat

Koalas are probably the most environmentally significant species that would be impacted by the establishment and operation of a motocross track on the Adare property.   Impacts will come from noise, vehicle strike and possibly vegetation clearing in Stage 2 of the development.

The database

For the last few weeks our group has been collecting incidental records of koala sightings in the area of bushland which is contiguous with the vegetation in the vicinity of the proposed Adare motocross track.

We now have 66 records of koala sightings for this area.  It may not look like 66 "pins" on the map, but that's because at this scale many pins are hidden behind others.

These sightings are all within 5km of the motocross track, and almost all are within less than 4km.  The nearest is only 950 metres from the track.

All of these sightings are in vegetation types that occur on the motocross property and within 20-70 metres of the track.  These vegetation types are classified as Bushland Koala Habitat or as Essential Habitat for koalas.

Remember, these are incidental sightings. They are not the result of targeted surveys for koalas.  They are sightings that people happened to make while they were doing other things, and which they have some record of.  People don't tend to look up in trees when they are working on their land.  Even if they do, koalas are pretty cryptically marked.  They have colours which tend to blend with the bark of trees and the dark shadows in thick foliage, and they even have lighter patches around their rear ends, so that their silhouette is broken up when seen against the sky from below.  Most people never see a koala when they are walking through the bush.

Our data collection is not yet complete.  The properties where there are no koala records are almost all ones where we haven't yet tried to collect information or where we don't have access.

The Road-kill Threat

Death by vehicle strike is among the three greatest threats to koala populations in Southeast Queensland.

Adare Road runs from the big dam just to the right of bottom centre in the map vertically (north) to the entrance to the motocross track. There are more than 30 records of koalas within 250 metres of Adare Road (four of these are of koalas crossing the road, and one is of a dead koala on the road).

Koalas are active at night, and that's when they will be crossing the road.  Imagine the number of road-killed koalas there will be if there is motocross traffic on Adare Road four to six nights per week!

Comparison Between Our Data and the Government Database

The WildNet database has been built up by the State government over a number of years. It contains records of wildlife sightings and listings of plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, sharks and rays, butterflies and other priority invertebrates in Queensland.

The wildlife lists are based on collated species lists and wildlife records from Queensland Government departments and external organisations. The data sources include:

• specimen collections
• research and monitoring programs
• inventory programs including extension activities
• literature records
• wildlife permit returns
• community wildlife recording programs.

WildNet at present has 65 records of koalas within 10km of the motocross track.  In a few weeks members of our group, with the cooperation of the local community, have gathered 66 records within 5km of the track.  That's a fantastic effort.

It's not that the koalas weren't there before - just that this is a big State and there has never been sufficient resources to carry out the necessary surveys at the scale we need for dealing with local government planning applications.

Ultimately our records will go into the WildNet database and into the privately funded Koala Tracker database.

Today's koala sighting

Before I talk about today's koala - quite a lot of people have asked me what a koala call sounds like.  Here's where you can find a typical koala call.  There's nothing that sounds like it, unless you happen to know a pig that rides a motorbike.

Just this morning (31 January 2015) the koala below was seen at Adare, less than 900m from the motocross track.  It was snoozing high in a Moreton Bay Ash, and was woken by the voices of the photographer and her friends, even though they were about 70 metres away.

Imagine the blast of sound it would have got from 40 motocross bikes charging around the track.  According to the Noise Impact Assessment contained in the application for the motocross facility, if this koala had been feeding at night on the ground at the base of the tree, it would have been subjected to 65dB of noise (louder than a suburban expressway at 90 metres).  Of course if it was feeding high in the tree where we found it, the noise would have been much greater because it would be in direct line of sight to the track, with nothing to attenuate the sound.

Today is the day of the State election in Queensland, when we are able to have a say in the kind of future we want. What say does this koala have about its future?  None.  Its future, and that of may other koalas in this part of the Lockyer, depends on whether you join us in speaking up on its behalf.

What about the koalas actually on the bush on the property where the motocross is proposed to operate? They will be exposed to much higher levels of noise.  How do we know they are there?  Well, the habitat is the same.  Have a look at the map below.

Today's koala was seen on private land, in the edge of Essential Habitat, beside a large area of Bushland Koala Habitat, (both mapped by the Queensland Government) and, as you can see from the above map, these habitats extend into and occupy most of the motocross property.

In fact, pretty much all of our koala sightings from across the Vinegar Hill / Adare area are in these two habitat zones.  Given that our sightings are only "incidental" sightings by people who were doing other things and not focussed on finding koalas, the density of koalas in these habitats can be expected to be many times greater than our observations suggest.

Koala populations in and around Brisbane are subjected to a range of pressures and threats from highly urbanised environments that make it unlikely that they will survive long term.  We have a koala population here that has a National Park as a "refuge" and, outside the National Park, shares bushland areas with relatively low densities of human population and very few busy roads.

If the motocross operation goes ahead, this koala population, on and outside the motocross property, is going to be subjected to stressfully high levels of noise which are likely to reduce their "fitness" for survival.  The nearest part of the Essential Habitat to the motocross track will be exposed to levels of noise between being exposed to an "in sink" garbage disposal one metre away and being in a very noisy restaurant.

Koalas have evolved on a specific diet of Eucalyptus leaves which have an extremely low energy content and are difficult to process and digest.  As a result, they have adapted their physiology and behaviour to minimise energy expenditure, e.g. sleeping up to 20 hours per day.

Since energy is required for basic living and koalas have limited resources of it, any unnecessary use of energy is likely to be of importance to their welfare.  The stress response is a very costly biological response in terms of energy metabolism.  It is possible that the triggering of stress responses may have a greater impact on koalas than other native species due to their reliance on a low energy diet.

In addition, there is circumstantial evidence that the level of chlamydiosis infections in koalas might increase as a result of noise stress impacts on their immune systems.

Please, let the Lockyer Valley Councillor and the general public know that this is an unacceptable impact on a koala population that does not have any way to speak for itself.

Not only is the presence of a large number of koalas an ongoing source of interest and pleasure to local people, it is a quality of the Lockyer Valley environment that we should be proud of and make widely known - not something to be destroyed for the sake of a motocross track.