The federal National Environmental Protection Agency altered conditions for the Goomig project’s approval after an investigation found the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development failed to implement approved plans to protect endangered Gouldian finches, and required DPIRD to provide a revised conservation plan.
The EPA investigation found DPIRD and Chinese-backed agribusiness company Kimberley Agricultural Investment breached conditions of the project’s 2011 Commonwealth environmental approval. The breaches included failures to implement approved Gouldian finch protection plans, manage buffer areas and protect aquatic fauna.
The agency has altered the project’s approval conditions, requiring DPIRD to provide a revised Gouldian finch conservation plan and demonstrate improvements in breeding and wet season foraging habitat quality within the buffer zone. The 11,470-hectare conservation zone surrounds the cleared farmland.
The Goomig Project, also known as the Weaber Plain Development Project, is an irrigated agricultural development about 30 kilometres north of Kununurra in the Kimberley. KAI holds tenure of the farmlands, while Kununurra’s main native title organisation, MG Corporation, owns two lots.
A DPIRD spokesperson said the department welcomed the national watchdog’s ruling. “The variations allow for a more flexible approach to implement more consistent approval conditions and associated management plans to support measures to protect the Gouldian finch,” the spokesperson said.
DPIRD’s latest compliance report recorded no Gouldian finches in nest boxes within the buffer zone over the four years to 2023-24. Gary Fitt, chief executive of charity Save the Gouldian Fund, said he did not believe the absence was indicative of a deep-rooted problem. The fund’s annual count at Wyndham, 100 kilometres north-west of Kununurra, found an average of 680 birds, with 78 per cent juveniles, the highest proportion of young birds the fund had counted. Mr Fitt said high rainfall would have contributed to the increase by boosting food availability.
Mr Fitt identified the ongoing loss of nest hollows due to late dry season arson as the greatest long-term threat to the species. “There are places around Kununurra where hundreds of Gouldians are being seen right now,” he said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Gouldian finch is an endangered species, and the failure of a state department to meet federal approval conditions directly affects its recovery prospects in a key agricultural region.
- The EPA’s intervention sets a compliance precedent for Commonwealth-approved developments, signalling stricter enforcement of environmental conditions.
- The case underscores the ongoing conflict between large-scale agricultural expansion and biodiversity conservation in northern Australia.
Background
The Gouldian finch is a brightly coloured bird found across northern Australia and is listed as endangered under federal environmental law. The Goomig Project was approved in 2011 as part of efforts to develop irrigated agriculture in the Kimberley. Its approval was subject to conditions designed to protect the finch, which relies on specific grass seeds for food and tree hollows for nesting.
Key Perspectives
National Environmental Protection Agency: found DPIRD and KAI breached project approval conditions by failing to implement Gouldian finch protection plans, manage buffer areas and protect aquatic fauna.
WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD): welcomed the EPA’s ruling, stating the varied conditions allow a more flexible approach to implement consistent management plans.
Save the Gouldian Fund (Gary Fitt): said the absence of finches in the Goomig buffer zone is not indicative of a deeper problem, attributing local fluctuations to food availability and stressing that late-season wildfires destroying nest hollows pose the greatest threat to the species.
What to Watch
- Whether the revised Gouldian finch conservation plan required by the EPA is approved by the federal environment minister.
- Future compliance reports tracking habitat quality improvements and finch presence within the Goomig buffer zone.
- The impact of the upcoming late dry season and fire management on Gouldian finch nesting habitat in the wider Kimberley region.