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Speaker 1: Now real change of pace because we know that there

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Speaker 1: is a flock of endangered Gouldian finches they've moved into

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Speaker 1: the Lee Point area, and advocates for saving Lee Point

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Speaker 1: from housing developed from that housing development of pointed to

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Speaker 1: that fact that the endangered bird thrives in mature trees,

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Speaker 1: making it habitat in Lee Point important for their survival.

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Speaker 1: Now we know that there are some walks being conducted

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Speaker 1: at the moment in an effort to try to make

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Speaker 1: more people learn a bit more about the presence of

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Speaker 1: these finches. And I am joined on the line right

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Speaker 1: now by Friends of Lee Point member in Redmond. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Ian.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Ian, tell us a little bit more. Well, firstly, you're

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Speaker 1: out there doing a walk as we speak, aren't we.

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Speaker 1: Aren't you or you were earlier this morning?

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Speaker 3: Oh, that's true.

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Speaker 2: Most people are gone now that's sort of unfortunately you

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Speaker 2: have to get.

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Speaker 3: Up early a lot of times with the birds.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, there would have been over one hundred people today,

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Speaker 2: came out and there was probably about seventy eight Gulian

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Speaker 2: finches seen in a flock. And that's been there pretty

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Speaker 2: much most days, fifty to one hundred. Yeah, and so

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Speaker 2: it's a regular sighting of gooley and finches, but unfortunately

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Speaker 2: you have to get up early or go later in

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Speaker 2: the afternoon to see them.

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Speaker 1: Now, how important is it to learn about these species

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Speaker 1: when it comes to, you know, to this push to

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Speaker 1: save Lee Point from the residential development in the area.

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Speaker 2: There's a I used to say that there are only

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Speaker 2: one species here.

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Speaker 3: This area has always.

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Speaker 2: Been a great area for finches and other birds when

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Speaker 2: you talk about this is part of Lee Point Peninsula

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Speaker 2: and that gets about eighty percent of the bird species

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Speaker 2: in Kakadu. So it's really been a rich biodiverse area.

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Speaker 2: And that's why I think it's really important to preserve

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Speaker 2: the whole area. What happens here. If this development goes

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Speaker 2: ahead as planned, you'll lose a lot of these grasslands

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Speaker 2: and the reason why these inches have come in, which

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Speaker 2: includes the goolean finch.

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Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit more, and you said that

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Speaker 1: there's are you know, there's obviously a number of different

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Speaker 1: species out there. What is you know, what's going to

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Speaker 1: essentially happen once this development goes ahead, Well.

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Speaker 2: Having thousands of people out here, it's going to have

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Speaker 2: a well a severe impact on the area. One of

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Speaker 2: the big things. I think the bird watches are really

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Speaker 2: concerned or about the migratory shorebirds that are over in

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Speaker 2: Sandy Creek, and you know they'll be less than a

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Speaker 2: half a kaok co a few hundred meter is really

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Speaker 2: from where these houses are directly and saying with the

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Speaker 2: on the lee point and you know there already there's

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Speaker 2: two species out there that are critically endangered. It's an

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Speaker 2: internationally significant bird habitat and this is all going to

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Speaker 2: be impacted. So it's taking out what is essentially what

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Speaker 2: city have do and call a biodiversity corridor because of

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Speaker 2: it allows animals to move up and down, like say,

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Speaker 2: like the endangered blackfooted rat that's being corded in. That's

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Speaker 2: an area that's going to get bulldozed. Next stage will

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Speaker 2: take out some of their habitat. This has gone forever,

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Speaker 2: So it's like and it needs a really proper planning

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Speaker 2: study to look at its ecological value and also the

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Speaker 2: value of eco tourism to Darwin. You know, Darwin could

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Speaker 2: be called the city of Verse. We're so lucky to

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Speaker 2: have this on our doorstep and we're just not valuing it.

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Speaker 1: So and what is the process now? I understand that

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Speaker 1: there is currently a legal case being put together.

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Speaker 3: That's correct.

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Speaker 2: I think the environment is looking at that. I'm not

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Speaker 2: really up with it, but there is a legal case

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Speaker 2: put together because to look at the well, the impact

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Speaker 2: of having environment when they did they have done an

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Speaker 2: impact statement, but the Guilians weren't really considered in that

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Speaker 2: impact statement. And I got to say, I have to say,

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Speaker 2: the only report that's really been done around this is

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Speaker 2: the Environmental Report. There's been no reports done on public

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Speaker 2: benefit on and there's been really no discussion papers done

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Speaker 2: on the public benefit. It's developing out here, either at

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Speaker 2: a territory level or a federal level. So here you

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Speaker 2: have is this development that's basically going ahead. It's up

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Speaker 2: towards of planned up towards four hundred million, which really

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Speaker 2: hasn't demonstrated the public benefit. And we've asked consistently both

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Speaker 2: at the territory and federal level for these reports on

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Speaker 2: public benefit, but no luck so far.

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Speaker 1: People keep trying, yeah, well, let's wait and see whether

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Speaker 1: you know whether that does does indeed happen.

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Speaker 2: Ian.

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Speaker 1: I know that you've you know that you have had

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Speaker 1: a number of walks out there, lots of people involved.

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Speaker 1: I was even told that you might have had Ray

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Speaker 1: Martin out on one of those walks this morning.

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Speaker 3: Well, that's true, you've heard right, Yes, yes we had

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Speaker 3: a bit of a Ray was very interested and he

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Speaker 3: saw a lot of gooley and finches and the like,

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Speaker 3: as did all the other people that sort of came

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Speaker 3: out here. And yes, he thought that he thought it

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Speaker 3: was a great area.

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Speaker 1: And if there is anybody out there listening this morning

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Speaker 1: who is keen to maybe get involved in one of

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Speaker 1: these walks, is it something that you are doing quite

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Speaker 1: regularly in an effort to sort of educate people.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll probably run another this is the second. Well,

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Speaker 2: you know, when I say walk, you can just come

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Speaker 2: out here and self guide probably if you can just

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Speaker 2: go there's a website called fave Le Point and just

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Speaker 2: go into that and they'll probably just follow maps. You

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Speaker 2: don't need to. The reason we do these walks is

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Speaker 2: that we sort of have experienced bird watchers out here, so.

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Speaker 3: They pretty far.

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Speaker 2: They find the Gulian finches very fast and other things,

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Speaker 2: so and then we direct people to them. But they're

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Speaker 2: pretty much around here most days. Painting has to come early,

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Speaker 2: and if you want to know where they are, just

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Speaker 2: look with someone with a really big camera lens, and that.

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Speaker 1: Look he'll be able to tell you well, Ian, I

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Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much

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Speaker 1: for having a chat with us and and raising those

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Speaker 1: concerns and and please let us know how things progress.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much.

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Speaker 2: Thanks, Thanks Cattie, thank you Ian