State Government's go-slow on Koala Coast population figures The State Government is yet to release crucial koala population data, as it begins to consider two projects in threatened koala habitats through Petrie and Redlands. The government is still cross-checking koala population data collected two years ago, a spokesman for Environment Minister Andrew Powell said. Several koala experts - including respected koala expert Frank Carrick - have asked that the 2011 and 2012 Koala Coast koala population figures be released by the state government. The Koala Coast includes the old Pine Rivers - now Moreton Bay Regional Council - and Redland City Council areas. The state government is now examining two projects in these two koala habitats; the Redland Super quarry and the West Petrie Bypass near Lake Kuwongbah koala habitat. However, the spokesman for Environment Minister Andrew Powell said it took two years to interpret the koala population data. "Raw data from the survey needs to go through a process of verification, collation, analysis and cross-checking with other data sets such as the extent of vegetation and any recent relevant literature before a report is finalised," the spokesman said. The reports are also peer reviewed, so the final population report therefore involves extrapolation of sample data. For these reasons past Koala Coast surveys have taken two years from date of surveys to publication of a final report. The 2010 koala population data figures were not released until January 2012 by the previous government. On that record, the 2010 data would be released next month, January 2014. The 2010 koala population data, released in January 2012, estimated there were just 2000 koalas in the Redlands area in 2010, a 65 per cent decline since 1999. In Pine Rivers - now Moreton Bay Regional Council - the population of koalas has dropped 40 per cent from 4600 to 2700, although these are five-year-old figures from 2008. In November Mr Powell said since the LNP had won office, they had invested $22.5 million between 2012 and 2015 to strategically acquire koala habitat for their preservation. On Saturday, Fairfax Media published comments from Environment Minister Andrew Powell, who said he had written to Moreton Bay mayor Alan Sutherland after receiving public concerns over the potential impact of the Moreton Bay Regional Council's Option G proposal. In March 2013 Cr Sutherland told the ABC, the council was looking at several options including some that did not go through koala habitat. What we've got to do is put the whole picture together before putting it to the public so they can have their say in which direction we go. However, in June 2013 Moreton Bay Regional Council put their proposal backing Option G to the state and federal governments asking for $125 million to solve flooding problems. Last Wednesday Yoka Dolman and John Byrne from the Petrie Bush Care Group - who oppose Option G - hosted a tour of the bypass proposal for Fairfax Media. They raised a series of issues including; the lack of community consultation with residents, the impact on koalas, powerful owls, clearing of one 300-year-old fig trees, damage to the root structure of the nearby 300 year-old figs, and the impact on Old Petrie Town historical village and Sunday markets. "They say it will not affect the markets at all," Ms Dolman said. Even the noise alone from a four-lane road, you will see there is no way that will survive as an historical village. Fairfax Media could not find a community representative who supported Option G. Last week local councillor David Dwyer outlined why Option G should go ahead.