Update: Work halted on North Airport Road, but we need to keep the pressure on!

Given bulldozers were moving in last week, this delay is important. But we cannot rest now.

Some time in 2022 or 2023 the Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, asked the Capital Airport Group to come up with a plan on how they would protect the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon. We saw a draft plan in 2023. If implemented, it would continue habitat loss for the road and was full of measures like road underpasses for which there is no scientific evidence that they would work. We don’t know if the Environment Minister has signed off on it!

Protest calling on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to cancel the approval of the North Airport Road. Image: Hedda Murray

This opens up a range of questions:

• Why did the Capital Airport Group start construction when, as admitted by them, they don’t have a final nature-positive plan in place yet? If they do have a final plan, then why has no one seen it?
• What would a plan actually look like to protect the Grassland Earless Dragon?
• Has the Airport done enough research to figure out if the Earless Dragon could survive having a road bisect its habitat (hint: despite proposing the road from before 2009, the answer is no)?

We are deeply concerned that this halt is just a delaying tactic, one the Capital Airport Group is using to satisfy the current Federal Environment Minister before the Government goes into caretaker mode. This is why we need to keep the pressure up. Tanya Plibersek needs to make a decision NOW to reverse the approval of this road and halt construction before it becomes too late!

You can still help out.

Please email Minister Tanya Plibersek ASAP to ask her to revoke approval of the road before it is too late. You can email or call the Minister’s office at the details below:

Email: Minister.Plibersek@dcceew.gov.au AND tanya.plibersek.mp@aph.gov.au