Possum protesters delay clearing

A group of environmentalists protesting the widening of a Dardanup road attracted police attention on Tuesday morning.

Preston Environment Group members descended on Harris Road to stop clearing at the site to protect what they believe is a western ringtail possum habitat.

Contractors working on the road and Dardanup Shire Council staff were handed “move-on notices” by the protesters before police arrived.

Peter Murphy, the conservation group’s convenor, said the work was being carried out without the correct approval.

He questioned why the Department of Parks and Wildlife, formally Department of Environment and Conservation, had not stopped the clearing.

“We stopped work for about an hour,” Mr Murphy said.

“This is cowboy stuff, it shouldn’t be happening in the South West.

“Western ringtail possums are rare and endangered and we were there to remind the contractors they need a permit to continue the work.

Dardanup shire chief executive officer Mark Chester said a call to police would have been made because Mr Murphy and other members of the Preston Environment Group refused to leave the work site.

“We are duty bound to stop work when someone enters the site for safety reasons,” Mr Chester said.

“The shire is required to abide by the law and citizens should too.”

In response to Mr Murphy’s concerns over the protection of possums, Mr Chester said the site had undergone an independent environmental inspection.

“No western ringtail possums were indentified in the area,” he said.

“It is not a habitat for the possums. We spent almost two years working for the approval and modified the design to minimise the removal of some of the trees and to minimise disruption to the vegetation.”

Mr Murphy said the Preston Environmental Group hoped to highlight the difference between the uncleared and cleared sections of the road.

“We took footage and will upload it to YouTube,” he said.

Harris Road between Martin-Pelusey and Waterloo roads was earmarked for upgrades under the Black Spot Program and received clearing approval from the Department of Environmental Regulation.

A 73-year-old Glen Iris motorcyclist was killed after he collided with a car on Harris Road ealier this month.