Tree World - View Single Post - Former league star McCracken accused of illegal clearing in rainforest

Ekka · 9th September 2007, 01:37 AM

Jarrod McCracken in tree-clearing row | The Courier-Mail

Quote:

David Murray

September 09, 2007 12:00am

FORMER rugby league star Jarrod McCracken has been accused of illegally clearing hundreds of trees on his multimillion-dollar Whitsundays property.
A court has ordered work to stop on the waterfront site at Clarke's Cove, north of Airlie Beach, after bulldozers cleared 10ha of coastal rainforest.

McCracken and and his wife Michelle have been warned the maximum penalty for causing environmental harm is a $1.5 million fine for a company or up to five years imprisonment for individuals.

The local council and Whitsunday Mayor Mario Demartini said the pristine site was cleared without a development application being lodged.

"This is a blatant disregard for the law and for the environment and I am shocked that someone would think they could do this without any approvals," he said.

McCracken, 37, a former New Zealand captain and Wests Tigers player, has forged a successful career as a Townsville-based property developer and has an estimated wealth of $30 million.

The 387ha property ? which a now defunct company called Cove Resort Pty Ltd, bought in 1999 for $15 million, then sold to Mrs McCracken for $5.5 million last December ? was inspected on August 21 after a fisherman spotted the cleared land and reported it to the council. A bulldozer and an excavator were working on the road as officials arrived. Areas had been cleared for a house pad, horse stud, esplanade and jetty, according to the inspection team, which included representatives from the state and federal environmental protection agencies.

An excavator, rock hammer and drilling rig were operating in the horse stud area, where it was estimated up to 144 large trees had been removed.

Planning and Environment Court documents estimate up to 65 Whitsunday bottle trees, listed as "rare", may have been knocked down in the house pad area.

The work had gone ahead despite the Whitsunday Shire Council sending a letter to Michelle McCracken on August 17 after an earlier property inspection.

"Council has grave concerns that the works being carried out on the land are unlawful," the letter said.

Mrs McCracken replied through her lawyers that work had stopped and she wished to "rectify the situation".

Jarrod McCracken's Crackers Corporation also received a letter but denied any involvement in the offending works and told the council to "substantiate the allegations or withdraw the complaint immediately".

The Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane issued an interim work ban on the property and adjourned the case until October 4.

Jarrod McCracken was given a $97,000 pay-out after his league career was cut short by a spear tackle in 2000. Last week, he was reported to be appealing over the pay-out figure, claiming it was lower than expected because a judge ruled the injury had allowed him to get rich through property developments.