E-Petition

The Petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House that the application of Cairns Plan 2016 version 3.1, particularly the Vegetation Management Code and Low Density Residential Zone provisions, may have been incorrectly or unlawfully applied in approving the removal of a mature Rain Tree in Freshwater. The development assessment process lacked transparency and procedural fairness, including limited opportunity for meaningful community scrutiny or access to decision‑making information. The removal of a mature and locally significant tree is inconsistent with Cairns Regional Council’s stated objectives relating to environmental protection, urban canopy retention, climate resilience, and preservation of neighbourhood character. Current planning laws allow significant trees to be removed through code assessable development without mandatory public notification or appeal rights for affected residents.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to review the decision‑making process of the Cairns Plan 2016 by:

• reassessing the application of the plan;
• ensuring the decision regarding the tree was lawful, correctly applied, consistent with council policy and the Planning Act 2016 (Qld);
• releasing all relevant reports and documentation to restore public confidence;
• request similar vegetation removal decisions be paused or reconsidered until compliance with planning instruments is assured;
• amend the Planning Act 2016 (Qld) to require mandatory community consultation before approving the removal of significant trees, even for code assessable development;
• provide submitter rights to community members; and
• ensure decisions involving irreversible environmental harm are made lawfully, transparently and with genuine community participation.