BRISBANE — Around 400 residents and supporters of the campaign against the controversial Woolworths supermarket development in the small Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Maleny marched on July 16. The project threatens dozens of platypus burrows. The platypus is an endangered species in Queensland.
On the same day, Platypus Action Group spokesperson John Woodlands was arrested when he tried to stop a truck from entering the construction site, near Obi Obi Creek. The protesters are angry that the company has refused to sell the site to the local community, which raised $2 million in an attempt to acquire the land and protect the platypus.
Residents of Maleny are circulating an appeal for support from communities around Australia, calling for people to send a message of protest to Woolworths.
The message states that "more than 80% of our community do not want Woolies, or at worst would support Woolies to relocate to another suitable site other than the current one". It points out that the site is within "four metres of a habitated platypus stream. We know of at least 50 platypus burrows entering under the construction site."
"We have as a small community desperately over three years, tried by all reasonable means to negotiate and reason with Woolworths' management, but they will not listen to us ... But of course they will take our and your hard earned money at every opportunity."
There are also plans for a nationwide boycott of Woolworths stores. [To find out more about the campaign, visit <http://www.malenyvoice.com>.]
Jim McIlroy
From Green Left Weekly, July 27, 2005.
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