Make AGL adhere to permit conditions.
AGL is widely regarded as one of the three largest polluters in Australia. But most people don’t realise AGL is not adhering to planning permit conditions at some of their electrical generation facilities, and is a major killer of native birds without mitigating their environmental destruction.
AGL’s reports show that they are likely to be killing nearly 2,000 birds and bats a year at their Macarthur generation facility alone (many of which are raptors), which is many times more than their planning application documents estimated. Documents obtained from DELWP though Freedom of Information requests appear to indicate AGL have breached their Macarthur permit in avifauna matters more than 200 times since it commenced generating electricity.
AGL appear to have failed to abide by the clearly outlined permit requirements to remove and record carrion weekly, failed to follow a response flowchart for native avifauna kills and failed to mitigate for significant losses. AGL has apparently failed to provide the required reports to DELWP or Moyne Shire for their significant number of permit breaches, and these authorities, even though they should be well aware of the breaches, have not forced them to do anything about it. The longer the permit breaches continue unchecked, the more birds and bats are being killed, and the displacement of other species from their habitat continues.
If you or I caused such large-scale death of native birds, we would be heavily fined and/or jailed. If AGL was held to account as you or I would be, the fines for their destruction would exceed $4.6M a year. Instead, with the flouting of their planning permit conditions, they are being let off scot-free by the authorities, while the environment takes a massive hit. AGL are making no attempt to mitigate for the death and displacement, and DELWP and Moyne Shire are not forcing them to do so.
You can send a message to AGL directly with your choice of whether to purchase their products, but I also ask that you sign this petition asking the Planning Minister, DELWP and the Moyne Shire to force AGL to adhere to their permit conditions and mitigate their avifauna destruction at the Macarthur site.
This petition will be delivered to:
- Richard Wynne
- Lily D'Ambrosio
- Moyne Shire
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