Blue Wedges

Blue Wedges is a conservation organisation in conflict with Australia's Victorian government policy to deepen shipping channels in Port Phillip and the large scale development of RAMSAR listed Westernport. The Blue Wedges is a coalition of over 65 environmental and bay user groups opposed to development in the Melbourne Bays that they deem to be unsustainable, such as the Port of Melbourne Corporation's Channel Deepening Project. The Blue Wedges Coalition includes angling groups and peak bodies, professional fishing associations, diving and charter operators along with the more traditional coastal protection groups and bayside industry sectors.Fact|date=February 2008 The Blue Wedges Coalition is supported in its goal to protect the bays by other environmental entities including the Victorian National Parks Association, Australian Conservation Foundation, Friends of the Earth, The Wilderness Society, Environment Victoria, Port Phillip Conservation Council and Western Region Environment Centre under a joint statement issued by these groups opposing the project and calling for action to stop the project from the Victorian Government. Fact|date=February 2008

In Victoria, the name "Blue Wedges" was created after a previous "Green Wedges" government policy for rural and forest conservation around the edges of the expanding Melbourne metropolitan region. Green Wedges is an already existing part of the governments environmental policy.Fact|date=February 2008

In December 2007 it was announced that Blue Wedges took action in the Federal Court against the Commonwealth to stop it signing off on the deepening shipping channels project. The case was heard in January 2008, [The Age Newspaper, "5 Dec. 2007", [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/legal-snag-for-bay-plan/2007/12/05/1196812786304.html Court threat to channel deepening] ] with the Federal Court deciding against Blue Wedges on January 15 2008. [The Age Newspaper, "15 Jan. 2008", [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bay-dredge-gets-goahead/2008/01/15/1200159426029.html Bay dredge gets go-ahead] ] On the 30 January 2008, Blue Wedges won a reprieve in the Federal Court with a hearing date of 20 February 2008. [The Age Newspaper, "30 Jan. 2008", [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/blue-wedges-wins-dredging-delay/2008/01/30/1201369209793.html Blue Wedges win delays dredging] ] After mediation between Blue Wedges and the Port of Melbourne Corporation (the body responsible for the deepening operations) on February 6 2008 [ABC News Online, "6 Feb. 2008", [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2156192.htm Limited Port Phillip Bay dredging gets go-ahead] ] , limited operations were allowed to commence on February 8 2008. [ABC News Online, "8 Feb. 2008", [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/08/2157552.htm Port Phillip dredging starts] ]

ee also

* Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project
* Green belt
* Clean Ocean Foundation

References

External links

* [http://www.bluewedges.org/ Blue Wedges] - "Home Page"
* [http://www.svcag.org/ Southern Victorian Community Action Group] - "Home Page"
* [http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpl.nsf/LinkView/B2CED2A0A19F0EB5CA256E82007E4484FD2B253F910D1C05CA256D1900232D0D Government of Victoria] - "Melbourne's green wedges"
* [http://www.channelproject.com/ Port Of Melbourne] - "Channel Deepening Project"