13/06/2026
Ormiston College had many opportunities to negotiate a better outcome 🐨🐨
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Was the loss of core koala habitat necessary, or were there better alternatives?
The recent commentary surrounding the Ormiston College koala rallies appears to be shifting attention away from the issue that has always been at the heart of community concern: the loss of core koala habitat, whether alternative development options were adequately considered and was due process followed regarding the Vegetation and Fauna Management Plan.
Like many others, I have attended and organised peaceful community rallies to raise awareness about the impact of this development on local koalas.
These gatherings have always been conducted with clear expectations regarding respectful behaviour, public safety and compliance with the law.
Every rally has included guidelines such as:
• Remain peaceful and respectful at all times
• Stay on public land and do not enter college property
• Keep footpaths clear
• Do not engage with students or staff
• Do not respond to verbal abuse or confrontation
• Prioritise public safety at all times
These instructions have been repeatedly communicated to participants and have been consistently followed.
With regard to allegations of threats, harassment, trespassing or other inappropriate behaviour, these are matters for police to investigate where necessary.
To my knowledge, no concerns regarding the conduct of organised rally attendees have ever been raised with me by police officers present at the site.
On the contrary, police have thanked myself as the main organiser and participants for the peaceful manner in which rallies have been conducted and have explained that their presence is to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
This fact has always been reassuring as I have concerns for everyone’s safety.
It is also important to distinguish between the actions of individuals and the conduct of the broader community movement.
Any allegations involving online comments, harassment or threats should be dealt with through the appropriate authorities and should not be used to characterise the hundreds of people who have attended peaceful rallies out of genuine concern for local wildlife.
The suggestion that protesters were endangering koalas is also difficult to reconcile with what many people observed.
On the day frequently referred to, attendees were encouraged to briefly view and photograph the koala known as Leaf before moving away and keeping noise to a minimum.
Police were present and fully aware of these activities.
At the same time, workers and the fauna spotter were observed standing directly beneath the tree occupied by Leaf while discussing the planned works.
Community concern that day centred around the presence of an animal crate and uncertainty about what actions might be taken regarding the koala.
It was this concern that prompted communication with the principal.
More broadly, many residents question whether the greatest source of stress to koalas is the presence of peaceful observers standing at a distance, or the rapid removal of habitat using chainsaws, heavy machinery and large work crews.
From the commencement of clearing, mature habitat trees were removed at significant speed across the site.
Community concerns have never been limited to the approved development itself.
They have also included questions regarding compliance with environmental conditions, implementation of the Koala Management Plan, fencing and signage requirements, the presence of fauna spotters during clearing operations and reports of habitat trees being removed despite evidence of recent koala use.
Particularly troubling to many was the old growth koala tree mistakenly cut down, in which a koala had been photographed only days earlier and clearly showed on the master plan it was to stay.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the accuracy of ecological assessments, concerns that were similarly identified by Redland City Council during the approval process.
No reasonable person disputes the need for educational facilities to grow and develop.
The question that many community members continue to ask is whether this growth could have occurred in a way that retained more of the existing core koala habitat.
That remains the issue.
The community’s concern has never been about opposing education.
It has been about protecting wildlife habitat that cannot simply be replaced by planting small trees.
Mature koala habitat takes decades, and often more than a century, to develop.
There is also many other species whom use these mature trees and the hollows that become their homes take more than a century to develop.
Rather than focusing on narratives that divide the community, perhaps it is time to return to the central question: was the clearing of core koala habitat truly unavoidable, or were there opportunities to redesign and achieve a better outcome for both education and wildlife?
Also the community would like to know was due process followed from the beginning when clearing began, specifically regarding the Vegetation and Fauna Management Plan?
That is the discussion many community members have been seeking from the very beginning.
Una Sandeman
Wellington Point.
