Gippsland Environment Group Inc
Lobbying against environmental threats on the unceded lands of the GunaiKurnai, Yaitmathang, Ngarigo and Bidwell Peoples
Critical Risks to Gippsland Lakes and Migratory Bird Habitat Exposed
Friends of the Gippsland Lakes Report to DCCEEW
13 May 2025
Friends of the Gippsland Lakes Parks and Reserves (FOGL) submission to DCCEEW strongly opposes the proposed Shearwater-Paynesville development, highlighting significant risks to Latham’s Snipe habitat and Gippsland Lakes Ramsar wetland. It identifies serious flaws in habitat mapping and inadequate mitigation measures against ecological disturbances.
The proposed stormwater management system, described as experimental and unproven, faces substantial risks from climate change-induced coastal hazards and extreme weather.
The report recommends substantial project redesign, rigorous independent review, stringent regulatory conditions, precautionary measures, and enhanced stormwater standards to ensure robust protection of critical ecological assets. Without these, approval risks significant ecological degradation, failing to comply with EPBC Act environmental safeguards.
Gippsland Environment Group calls on anyone worried about this proposed development to contact East Gippsland Shire Council and voice your concerns:
Phone: 03 5153 9500
Email : Planning@egipps.vic.gov.au
Download the full report here
SHEARWATER-PAYNESVILLE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT EPBC ACT
REVIEW OF PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTATION EPBC 2023/09592