At a time when large expanses of coral are bleaching, temperature records keep being broken, extreme weather events are no longer unusual, and there is general agreement around the world that we need to move away from fossil fuels, the decision by the Queensland ALP Government and the Federal Coalition Government before that to approve the Adani coal mine is obscene and abhorrent.
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Imagine the emissions that will result from the estimated 11 billion tonnes of thermal coal that lies waiting to be being taken out of the ground and shipped through the Great Barrier Reef from the aptly named Abbott Point. And the best the Queensland Government can offer in its justification of this abomination is the mantra of jobs, a disingenuous, desperate and downright ludicrous claim, given that employment in renewables would most likely not just match but far outnumber any mining jobs and also, help us do our bit to address what is fast becoming runaway climate change.
There are people who have made it their life's work to investigate the science of climate, forests, reefs, biodiversity, riparian zones – you name it – not to mention those who have read and responded to the land over thousands of years, and they have all have provided us with intricate knowledge about how these systems work. But no, instead of listening and acting it seems that our overriding goal is for short-term profit, never mind the ramifications for future generations.
There was a dictum oft-spoke during my eight and a quarter years on Palerang Council, and that was that a person should be able to do anything they like on their own land. Australia flouting global concerns by approving this new coal mine is simply the same dictum on a larger scale. We have already lost so much through our greed, so now more than ever it is our responsibility to look after what remains of our valuable agricultural and farming land and remnant areas of native vegetation. Instead of digging up coal and dotting the landscape with CSG wells, instead of continuing to woodchip native forests or burn them for so-called “green” energy, instead of arrogantly killing off areas of native grasses and woodland with toxic chemicals to make room for one or two more heads of cattle, it is time we worked co-operatively together to protect and value what is left.
To do this, we would be greatly assisted by a local council that recognised the worth of small, effective and adequately funded local government, a council which, instead of rolling over and suggesting perceived least worst-case scenarios, would join the growing band of councils around the state that have vowed to “fight to the death” against amalgamations. Maybe then the same federal local member who has decided to support Tumbarumba in its fight to the death might speak out against his own party for Palerang too.
Catherine Moore
Charleys Forest