Dredging the Bay, Will Lead to a Lifetime of Marine Disarray

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As of the 22nd of March 2007, the Port of Melbourne The Port of Melbourne Corporation's Supplementary Environment Effects Statement regarding the deepening of Port Phillip bay has been announced. The plan is set to cost seven hundred and thirty million dollars. The procedure will involve moving twenty-six million cubic metres of sand, silt and rock. In the process, much marine life will be greatly affected, resulting in an imbalance in the marine ecosystem. Certainly Australia cannot simply overlook the negative effects and carry forth we the dredging.

Indeed, if the dredging were to take place it would cost a massive seven hundred and thirty-three million dollars of tax payer's money. This money could be wiser spent on more immediate issues of today. Such as Australia's severely increasing drought and water shortages. This money could be better spent on water recycling, desalination plants, health or education. These key imperative areas are where we should be spending our tax payer's money. Conversely, the opposition may argue that dredging the bay will provide to be an investment in the future in that it is expected to provide a three-to-one cost-benefit ratio, providing two billion two hundred millions dollars in return. However, if the final costs blow out which is a possible risk then the ratio is far less impressive. As a result we must not dredge the bay as the money could be better spent dealing with more appropriate issues such as drought, water conservation, health and education.

Furthermore, through dredging Port Phillip Bay the balance of the ecosystem will be disrupted. Microscopic algae which are the source for food for millions of marine life will be lost. The number of fish will drop dramatically, endangering dolphins consequently. Anchovies will further be dropped resulting in tens of thousands of penguins from the bay and Phillip Island going hungry. All these changes have a chain reaction on other animals resulting in the marine ecosystem turning into disarray. On the other hand, the opposition may suggest that through the dredging of Port Phillip Bay many jobs will be created. However, is the unbalancing of the ecosystem the correct