Pacific Catholics welcome Pope Leo XIV
Catholics in the Pacific have welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV with two cardinals from the region taking part, for the first time, in voting.
New Caledonia's giant geckos are the latest sensation in the global pet trade, but conservationists warn their social media-fuelled popularity is putting the endangered species at risk.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has fended off a leadership challenge after his finance minister defected with 10 government MP's.
A social media video showing the country's prison's boss in a barroom brawl has gone viral, prompting calls for his sacking.
Tonga's Lulutain Airlines is under scrutiny as the national carrier struggles to stay afloat amidst allegations of mismanagement.
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ABC News
8 hours ago
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Fiji's High Court finds nine men guilty in country's biggest drug bust
On the program this week: Fiji's High Court has found nine men guilty of various charges stemming from the country's biggest drug bust. Pacific countries spring into tsunami action plans following the massive eight point eight magnitude earthquake in Russia Tuvalu's Prime Minister visits Canberra following the first Tuvaluans being selected to migrate to Australia under the Falepili Migration Pathway Concerns around the skyrocketing rates of sexually transmitted diseases among PALM scheme workers Vanuatu marks 45 years of and celebrates the landmark advisory opinion passed down by the International Court of Justice.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Conservationists say they have been shut out of plans for Queensland state forests as government consults industry
Conservationists say they have been shut out of planning for the future of Queensland state forests, as the government develops a 25-year plan for the timber industry. The LNP made a pre-election pledge to deliver a Queensland Future Timber Plan (QFTP) in its first year in government, which will be up in October. Premier David Crisafulli has promised to give the forestry industry consistency in order to build one million homes by 2044. The Timber Supply Chain Ministerial Roundtable made up of forestry, housing and agricultural industry bodies met for the first time in May. In contrast, the previous government's advisory panel had scientists, First Nations leaders and conservationists, in addition to industry representatives. Andrew Picone from Pew Charitable Trusts, who was a member of that group, said conservationists were miffed by their exclusion. "At the moment the decision is being made between the timber industry and Queensland government, and we don't feel that is the right approach, it's certainly not transparent," he said. "We're talking about three million hectares of public native forests." Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said QFTP was "future-proofing the forest sector after the former Labor government plan was never delivered". 'This industry roundtable is contributing to a draft of the Queensland Future Timber Plan which will be released for wide-ranging and open public consultation," he said. Mr Picone said Queensland had a history of collaboration between conservationists and the forestry industry. The South-East Queensland Forestry Agreement, made in 1999 by the Beatty Labor government, is an example of that collaboration, with all sides agreeing native hardwood forestry would end in most state forests south of Gladstone by the end of 2024. That agreement was altered in 2019 by Annastacia Palaszczuk to only cease native hardwood logging in forests south of Noosa in 2024, and to extend logging north to Gladstone until at least 2026. Mr Picone said he worried the new government's process left the door open to further water down the 1999 agreement. "The Queensland government isn't ruling out opening up areas we thought they were finished with — opening them back up to logging. So we're quite concerned about that," he said. The chief executive of Queensland's oldest conservation group, National Parks Association Queensland, Chris Thomas, said "changing positions and backflips" by consecutive state governments had "created animosity" between conservationists and the logging industry. "I think the relationship is getting harder and more adversarial the longer this goes on," he said. The state's peak body for forestry and logging, Timber Queensland, which is part of the government's roundtable, declined to comment, instead pointing to a press release from May. The release said the QFTP would "remove barriers and pave the way for sustained growth" of the industry. "We look forward to working on a bold plan that delivers policy certainty to increase sustainable production while at the same time safeguarding the environment," chief executive Mick Stephens said at the time. "The assumption that harvesting timber from native forests is necessarily harmful to biodiversity is not correct." Mr Picone said 50,000 hectares of state forest, south of Noosa, where logging ceased in 2024 is "in limbo" while the government makes a decision on its future. The Pew Charitable Trust and other groups are calling for those forests to receive various levels of protected land status to ensure logging cannot resume there in the future. "If it's not going to be part of the logging schedule — which it shouldn't be, it's close to population bases, there are a lot of recreational uses for these areas — then we think there ought to be a public process to determine the best use for those areas," he said.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Concerns growing over Tassal's Cone Bay barramundi farm expansion plans
Traditional owners in Western Australia's far north say they are growing increasingly concerned over seafood giant Tassal's plans to expand its fish farming operation off the remote Kimberley coast. Known for its salmon farming off Tasmania, Tassal has been seeking to expand its 32-cage barramundi operation centred on the iconic farm at Cone Bay. The company is seeking to add seven fish farms, comprising 84 cages, to its holdings in the surrounding waters off the coast. WA's Environmental Protection Authority is assessing the proposal. With the company's record in Tasmania attracting significant controversy, the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the region's traditional owners, is concerned the farm's expansion could undo years of conservation work in the Buccaneer Archipelago. Comprising more than 1,000 scattered islands, the archipelago contains three marine parks across 600,000 hectares, co-designed and jointly managed by the area's Bardi Jawi, Mayala and Dambimangari traditional owners. Tassal's facility falls on Mayala country, with the company signing an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the group last year. But the broader potential impact on the marine park has representatives of the neighbouring cultural groups concerned. Dambimangari board member and marine park chair Francis Woolagoodja said conservation needed to be prioritised. "Where does the barramundi industry fit within conservation and looking after country?" he said. Mr Woolagoodja said the issues surrounding salmon farming in Tasmania were the "elephant in the room". "We don't want what's happening in Tasmania to happen to the Kimberley coast," he said. "I'm not supportive of what they're doing over in Tasmania … we're hearing it really has impacted coastlines, so we're mindful of those things." Mr Woolagoodja said he was not against the creation of jobs and development, but he held concerns around the scale of the expansion. "Something huge around barramundi, which will really impact country — that's opposite to what government's been doing with us for the last 15 years," he said. "We think the government wouldn't contradict everything they've done … and we will try to find a middle ground." With the archipelago a popular destination, recreational fishers in Broome and Derby are also concerned about the farm's potential impact. Recfishwest operation leader Matt Gillett said many local fishers wanted the Kimberley to "remain untouched and accessible". "Kimberley fishers love this area … one of the last things they want is aquaculture facilities that impact access to their favourite fishing spots," he said. Mr Gillett said fishers' access to the region, already restricted by the marine park, should not be impacted further. But Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Sharni Foulkes said the expansion could offer tourism and employment opportunities. "These guys aren't your mum and dad operators, this is a big corporate promising 140 new jobs," she said. Ms Foulkes said she believed investing in the state's aquaculture industry was a crucial first step in economic diversification. "They [Tassal] want to support skilled development and support career pathways for local people, which is an important opportunity the region needs to grab hold of and support," she said. A Tassal spokesperson said the project was an exciting opportunity for the region, contributing to job growth and investment in local suppliers. "The footprint of the project removes around 400 hectares from the proposal previously submitted by the past operators, recognising concerns raised by important local stakeholders such as traditional owners and recreational fishers," they said. "We are proud and humbled to have secured the consent for the project via a voluntary Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the Mayala traditional owners on whose country the proposal is wholly located." A WA government spokesperson said the EPA was assessing potential impacts to marine environmental quality, benthic communities and habitats, and marine fauna from the operation of aquaculture sea cages. The full report on Tassal's proposal is due by the end of 2025.
