Land Clearing

19 July 2002

Environment Centre Omitted from New NT Landcare Council

The Environment Centre NT today criticised the decision by the NT Environment Minister, Kon Vatskalis, to exclude the Environment Centre from the re-formulated Landcare Council NT. Minister Vatskalis has not yet announced the new Landcare Council but has informed those who have been appointed to the new Council.

Environment Centre NT Coordinator Mark Wakeham said today:

"The new Landcare Council will be making decisions on how large amounts of Commonwealth environment funds will be expended and developing regional natural resource management plans. We think that it is important that the Environment Centre NT, the peak community environment NGO in the NT with over 500 members, is involved in these important decisions."

"The Environment Centre has been on the Landcare Council for 10 years and has contributed constructively and energetically over that period. We nominated an extremely experienced and skilled person for the Council who had significant expertise to contribute."

"The Environment Centre has a history of advocating for the environment in an independent way, without any vested interests. We call decisions on the environment as we see them - perhaps this is why the Minister did not want the Environment Centre to be represented."

For more information on Land Clearing contact ECNT:
Phone: 08 8981 1984
Email: ecnt@octa4.net.au

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