Lobbyists rally against private school plans to clear koala habitat
Protesters will rally against a prestigious private school’s expansion plans on the steps of parliament today.
Protesters will rally outside Queensland Parliament today, as they continue their long-running fight to stop a prestigious private school’s proposal to cut down koala habitat for a new development.
Ormiston College in the Redlands, south-east of Brisbane, sparked backlash over its plans to cut down 652 trees for a campus expansion with those opposed claiming the trees offered vital habitat for koalas.
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) Bayside organised the protest claiming the trees were protected koala habitat, with Redlands City Council naming Ormiston a koala-safe neighbourhood in 2018.
According to council figures, koala numbers were estimated to be between 350-500 in 2026 in the area.
“With only 350-500 koalas left in the Redlands, and a concentration of sightings in the Ormiston area, we should all be very concerned about this,” ACF Bayside spokesperson Judith Seton said.
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She said many of the trees at Ormiston College were mapped by the Queensland Government as ‘Core Koala Habitat’ and the surrounding area as ‘High Ecological Value Wetland’.
“It is vital to retain the Redlands area as a viable koala habitat within easy reach of Brisbane,” Seton said.
“It’s make-or-break time to ensure we still have koalas not only for our grandchildren but also to show our international visitors.”
Seton added that ACF Bayside was not against Ormiston College expanding but that it needed to be completed in a way that minimised destruction of koala habitat.
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Ormiston College’s proposed plans included building a number of new education and administrative buildings, a boarding facility, new aquatic centre with 50 metres pool, new indoor multi-purpose courts with enclosed cricket pitch and nets and a new junior school sports fields with external sports lighting.
Instead of making a development application to Redland City Council, Ormiston College has applied to the state government for a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation.
Its principal has previously said the plans were tweaked after community consultation, and a spokesperson from Ormiston College said that it was aware of the concerns, but the proposed expansion was essential to meeting the growing needs of students and families.
The college said it had worked with independent ecological consultants JWA to assess the plan.
“JWA’s findings, verified through multiple surveys between 2016 and 2024, identify certain areas of the expansion plan as a koala transit corridor, which is a zone koalas move through, not a breeding or high-density habitat,” a spokesperson for Ormiston College said.
“Should our MID be approved, we have specific protocols in place that will ensure the safety of any koalas within the perimeters of any development activity.”
The spokesperson also said a licensed fauna spotter-catchers would be on-site before and during any clearing, and sequential protocols was expected to ensure wildlife could move safely along existing corridors, not from their habitat.
“We have also committed to plant at least 526 new preferred koala food trees to offset any clearing, ensuring like-for-like habitat replacement while strengthening canopy connection and improving local food sources for wildlife,” the spokesperson said.
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