Oct 3 AAP - Conservationists fighting the Port Hinchinbrook marina and resort project were buoyed today after securing a temporary injunction to stop the lopping of mangroves at the Cardwell site in north Queensland. They hailed the win as the first round in their legal campaign to overturn the federal government's approval in August for the project adjacent to the World Heritage-listed Hinchinbrook Channel.
Legal action is part of the campaign.
The Friends of Hinchinbrook secured the injunction from the Federal Court last night, and it was served on the company of development proponent Keith Williams at the project site and the company's Gold Coast office today. A spokeswoman for Friends of Hinchinbrook Margaret Moorhouse said the group was concerned that lopping the foreshore mangroves would kill them. The Federal Court tomorrow will consider whether to issue a permanent injunction. If the application succeeds, it will give the conservation groups time to prepare their legal challenge to federal Environment Minister Robert Hill's consent. Most of the planning matters associated with the project come under state and local government jurisdiction but the commonwealth has a role because of the World Heritage area.