SAVE OUR CHILDREN’S BARRIER REEF!
*Yesterday it was announced that Gina Rinehart’s $6.4 billion Alpha coal mine faces delays after Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke announced he was ‘‘stopping the clock’’ on the project’s environmental approval.
Mr Burke said he no longer trusted Queensland Premier Campbell Newman’s government to carry out a proper environmental assessment of the mega-mine in the Galilee Basin calling the process “seriously deficient”, “shambolic” and ”hopeless”.
‘‘I don’t have the level of trust in the Queensland government which I wish I had,’’ Mr Burke said. ‘‘I cannot trust them with Queensland jobs. I cannot trust them with the Great Barrier Reef and that’s why I’ll be taking the action I’ve described.’’
Mr Newman swiftly hit back, accusing Mr Burke of going “rogue” and ‘‘playing for Green votes in Sydney and Melbourne’’.
One of those “green voters” is Ginny Gerlach, coordinator of the Keppel and Fitzroy Delta Alliance who blogs here and today writes for The Hoopla…
Oil spills from a Chinese coal carrier on the reef, May 2010.
We tell our children all about the amazing Wonders of the World.
We talk about the man-made ones like the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China (and don’t forget those pesky rabbits!).
We extoll the virtues of our iconic natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef.
The kids do school projects – not like we did, cutting and pasting pictures on to the posters we created, but by cutting and pasting from the internet.
I’ve recently done one of those internet projects and came up with the following information.
“The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) met in Paris in 1972 and noted as part of its Convention: “…that the cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction….”
The Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China are both on the World Heritage List. So is the Great Barrier Reef.
Although mainly known for the wonderful reef areas captured in iconic photos, the Great Barrier Reef also includes many islands, cays and intertidal areas protected by state and federal government legislation.
The biodiversity and interconnectedness between species and habitats makes the Great Barrier Reef one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth. Coral reef, mangrove and seagrass habitats occur elsewhere on the planet, no other World Heritage Area contains such biological diversity.
OK, I’m feeling pretty pleased with my internet research skills but not so good about the information I want to share with you now.
Will the future generations be getting these pictures off the internet for their school projects?
The pictures of the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall are thankfully Photoshop jobs.
But this is a real photo taken in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area – on our watch. What are we thinking?
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36 Responses to this article
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Amacamchumps June 6, 2012
This makes me sick in my stomach. Who SERIOUSLY thinks this is a good idea without some money crossing some palms somewhere? This is the kind of thing you’d expect in corrupt countries, but not in Australia. I would be going far, far beyond a bit of a cry about the environment, and rake a fine tooth comb through whoever is authorising this! A national treasure being signed away by a few signatures – why & how?!
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Brie Wiessner June 6, 2012
It always amazes me that we live in such a backward country. From one thing to the next & now this. I am not well & so will not say too much about this situation except to endorse what those who have gone before me have said & that I oppose this treatment of our environment & those who authorise it.
Sincerely, Brie Wiessner
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Surfrider Foundation Aus June 6, 2012
Beyond the $$ the Great Barrier Reef is World Heritage Listed.
That should be the end of ANY talking point on any level which wants to move in, travel through, build up or crash upon OUR internationally recognised treasure that is already threatened by global warming.
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liza June 6, 2012
Amacamchumps asks “Who thinks this is a good idea”.Unfortunately a large percentage of Australia do, as they are prepared to kick out a government who has at least attempted a Carbon Tax in exchange for a bunch of non believers in global warming and have shares and jobs with the mining companies. If we don.t wake up now it may well be too late.
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Brendan June 6, 2012
Ahh Queensland.
Beautiful One Day
Exported the next ! -
WENDY MARGARET CHRISTIE June 6, 2012
What will we leave for our future generations?No minerals , no forests, no grazing land, no reef.
Greed is supervening while we rape our beautiful counrty for the present. -
Tom Sjolund June 6, 2012
I live in Central Queensland, in Yeppoon a most beautiful place. 50kM’s down the coast is Curtis Island and Balaclava Island, Curtis is being raped by the mining companies Balaclava at the moment is just being fondled. Now the Fed’s want to give the environmental decisions to the States, I’m not looking forward to having an CSG mine in my backyard!
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Kerry June 6, 2012
I am a long term resident of Gladstone and can say without a word of a lie the Australian government, both State and Federal have seriously dropped the ball on the management of both the Great Barrier Reef and the resource assets of my country. I am appalled by the lies and mistruths our politicians are spreading. I am dismayed and disgusted by the lack of exanimation of EIS reports submitted to our government for approval. I am horrified by my government’s approval of EIS reports that are incorrect and untrue. The Australian government is guilty of neglecting their responsibility to properly maintain guardianship of the assets of my country for future generations. World’s best practice – sorry – massive fail!
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Pat OBrien June 6, 2012
Vandalism is far too soft a word to describe what is proposed for the GBR. What I can see developing though, is more support for the Federal Labor Government. For all its many faults, the Labor Feds are at least trying to put the brakes on this “mining at any cost” mindset the new LNP Queensland government seem to have developed since the election. And there is something else. With Labor on the nose at every State level, I can see an attitude developing in the community ( and I speak to many sections of the community) that it may not be wise to have conservative governments at every State level, and also at the Federal level. So the mad push to open a big bucket full of export coal and gas in Queensland, may actually save the Labor Feds from otherwise certain defeat at the next Fed. election. Everyone I speak to is concerned about the quarry mentality that our Qld. pollies seem to have. What an exciting time to be a Queenslander…….
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Linda June 6, 2012
The reef is too precious for us to let anyone commit acts of gross neglect and harm. Restricting development to existing ports and making mining companies share facilities. So glad to see Minister Tony Burke making a stand to prevent the Qld politicians their worst for short term gain.
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dusan June 6, 2012
The word “complacency” doesn’t just mean self satisfaction, is far worse than that. It means self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies and you can see the results of remarkable complacency where ever you look. In this context, it starts with our “window dressing” environmental laws; the intention is there but the results are ignored. The Fitzroy delta coal loading proposals are so wrong that it beggars belief and yet they can be proposed, are signed up to by government (State Labor gave project of State significance status) and now it is up to the presence of the snub nosed dolphins and maybe the wider threat to the GBR to provide the federal Minister with about the only grounds for stopping the insanity. If that is not enough grounds for the Minister to stop it then it will be approved because if government wanted to stop it without such valid reason, it would have to pay compensation to the applicant, regardless of the lunacy of the proposal in the first place. You can bet that the government hasn’t asked itself how much would such compensation be, weighed against the value of the potential losses; environmental, social and economic.
Examine most things “government” and, like me, you might arrive at the conclusion that they are the result of remarkable complacency. -
Sue June 6, 2012
I can’t believe that there is a debate about saving the reef and all it’s inhabitants – how did we get to this place where we are proposing such irreversible damage and posing such a catastrophic risk to the reef and the environment? How are we drilling coal seam gas on a world heritage listed Island? How was such a proposal even taken seriously to begin with? I want to blame all of those that have benefited from such a mismanagement of the environment, but then I realise they are not as much to blame as the good men and women (me included) who have failed to do nothing to challenge their agenda. I feel some hope that good sense may prevail as we (the general public) wake up from our complacency and act. Mining is necessary, but not ungoverned, not without a conscience and not at the detriment of the environment.
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Protect Keppel Bay June 6, 2012
Hi everyone, please write to our politicians, we need all the support we can get…public outcry can make a difference…
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Brenda Happell June 7, 2012
This is such a beautiful area. If it is ruined it will be forever, we need to take action to protect it.
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Russell the George June 7, 2012
It never fails to amaze me how Politicians will prostitute environmental protection to get their hands on royalty money from LNG/Mining whatever, anything with a dollar in it. We will if the disastrous Balaclava/Port Alma developement proceeds have short term gain for long term pain once the Reef is damaged and tourist visitors dry up. Look at whats happened in Gladstone, a whole lot of spin and BS to try and explain the fish kills and yet they wont accept any independent research into this ?, why ?, is it because the BS and spin will be revealed to be exactly that ?.
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DENIS RATCLIFFE June 7, 2012
My family and myself live in a great part of the world, namely Emu Park. We are against any new coal ports in the Fitzroy basin area, utilise what we already have in Gladstone, learn to share facilities.Coal dust is already a problem in this town, from the Gladstone area, we don’t need any more. Also we don’t wish to see large ships in our beautiful Keppel Bay area, this would lead to lots of dredging. I don’t thinh so.
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Maggi Day June 7, 2012
As a country we are selling off our land to China, Japan, Arabia, our arable land which produces our countries food, we allow the indiscriminate mining of coal to pollute, wipe out our precious marine life and destroy our health, we have to stand up and be counted otherwise Australia will simply be a country in which no one can live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Byron June 7, 2012
Once again our government puts the greed of multinationals and themselves over any consideration for the environment or the people that are left with the legacy of there actions. I can only hope common Sense will prevail. I live on the Capricorn coast and enjoy its pristine beaches and islands regularly.
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Dan June 7, 2012
Spot on Denis.I live at Keppel Sands which is even closer than Emu Park to the current coal dust pollution from Gladstone.Balaclava Island is only half the distance than Gladstone.The fish breeding grounds etc would be gone also.We have already lost our pristine water supply to the supply from the Fitzroy River polluted by mine discharges.
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Sue Lancaster June 7, 2012
Economic needs are important for the Australian lifestyle to contimue and we should be able to realise the potential from our natural resurces; however, our reef is an important natural resource too and has the potential to be here long after the coal has all gone, continuing to attract international tourists and for us and our grandchildren to enjoy; but only if we take a stand now! Better management, improved systems and processes to better utilise existing port facilities is what is required. If we get new ports, we’ll need new rail infrastructure – likely impacting on farmlands. Where will we stop? Only after it’s too late for reversal if we don’t demand a long term sustainable managment plan be put in place now.
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corrie June 7, 2012
DOLLARS AND DREDGING = DESTRUCTION AND DEATH
LOVE OUR ENVIRONMENT = LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN
‘NO WAY’ TO COAL PORTS IN KEPPEL BAY! -
Emma June 7, 2012
As a Cap Coaster I am appalled that the coal port proposal has even been considered. What level of insanity is our country at? Where is the democratic process? The answers are clinically insane & non-existent. I feel sick to my stomach, powerless & helpless. However, I will speak out & get arrested if need be to prevent any development in the Fitzroy Delta & Keppel Bay Region! How dare these pompous politicians & mining magnates dictate the future of our beautiful resources for the sake of a few quick bucks. This is not sustainable nor suitable & should be challenged at every step & every level until we get through the insanity.
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Janet Ward June 7, 2012
Wendy,
I have always liked you, now I love you. I, like Dan, live in Keppel Sands. If whatever proposal proceeds for coal loading at the mouth of the Fitzroy River, there will inevitably be a terrible accident, greater than the grounding of the Chinese ore carrier two years ago, which took out two kilometres of coral on the east side of Great Keppel Island. Various authorities, government bodies, etc., will assure/reassure us that with appropriate safety precautions no disaster will happen, but those of us who know what happens in the REAL world realize that the only factor is when, not if. Keppel Bay is one of the world’s most beauiful places or, as the journalist Cameron Forbes, who grew up in Keppel Sands describes it, “that little piece of paridise shielded from the rest of the world by the mighty cloud piercing Berserker Mountains, mere pimples on the earth which keep KS 5 degrees cooler in summer and 5 degrees warner in winter. Believe me when I tell you that this is true and I want this to be there for my grandchildren and their descendents. The rush is on by Gina Rhinehart and Clive Palmer to get the low grade coal out a.s.a.p. because in 20-30 years renewables will be up and running and the only coal in Queensland worth extracting will be coking coal, not the lousey stuff they want to extract right now. Recently my partner and I were in Malaysia and the caves and Mulu, recently granted world heritage. There were two billboards, one telling what was required to gain world heritage and the other showing four sites of about 160 having world heritage. Guess what? Two of the four were in OZ. The other two were the Grand Canyon and Mt Kilimanjaro and then, wait for it, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. Do we let multi billionaires make the decisions or ordinary, concerned persons like you and me? Please do as much as you can.
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Graeme Fraser June 8, 2012
What is going on up there is criminal.
What is even worse is the lack of coverage in the mainstream media.
It is great that people in this forum are having there say, BUT don’t be just “outraged in these posts, go to the next stage & spread the word. Facebook is the ideal way to spread the word. Change.org offers a facility where you can make your own petition & they will send it for you.
Go that little bit EXTRA, or you are just letting it continue.
Graeme Fraser https://www.facebook.com/isthatthetruth -
Tom June 8, 2012
We live near Keppel Sands. I was born in Yeppoon and although I’m not against the mining industry I am very against the Coal Ports development in the Fitzroy Delta. The area is too important biologically to native animals particularly the snub fin dolphin, dugong, turtle, crocodiles, several endangered bird species and barramundi. This is only a small handful of well known animals that will be seriously impacted by the dredging and ship movement. And then there’s the human cost. I live here because of its quietness and also its environmental values. I like fishing and camping and spending lots of time exploring and observing the beauty of nature around where I live. Many of my friends do too. I am a member of KAFDA and also Getup and am determined to do what I can to stop this industrial monster from spoiling our patch.
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Greg June 9, 2012
We need a new political party – one that represents the rational citizens that want to protect our environment for further generations while promoting sustainable economic growth. No the current rape and pillage of the environment that is being promoted in Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is our responsibility to protect not just because we love and value it but because it has World Heritage Value – that is why Australia made to the commitment to protect it. Keep up the great work KAFDA and Wendy – we need to let the rest of world know how hard some people are working to protect this icon for future generations.
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Jo Wooler June 9, 2012
Such a relief that some of us have the foresight to recognize the abominable direction our ‘trusted’ government is taking with our GBR. Indeed it is sad times to see such appalling behaviour from the ‘Powers That Be’. Shame shame shame, what of our future? Are you able to sleep at night? Maybe your brains are so numb from the distance you’ve strayed from your own soul connection. Thank you Ginny Gerlach for your tireless work, please help ‘them’ to see the right way to take ‘care’ of our World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef!!!
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Jenny June 10, 2012
As a resident in Central Queensland with an abiding interest in the health of this planet generally, I am totally opposed to the expansion of the fossil fuel mining industry wherever this is proposed. It is about time that we in Australia reduced our unacceptable plunder of the earth’s resources and focused our energies on sustainable, environmentally sensitive stragegies for ensuring the planet is viable for future generations.
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Janelle June 11, 2012
One of the problems is that it is generally believed (particularly in Central Queensland) that if you are against coal port development, you are against mining. The Queensland Government promotes this view by using economic arguments to justify expanded coal port development. Wake up Queensland pollies and start thinking about what the future holds for our kids, not just your few years in parliament . Why is SUSTAINABILITY such a difficult concept to understand?
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Michelle June 13, 2012
May our sad excuse for government realise that no amount of money will buy them a ticket out of hell.
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Bruce Zimmer June 13, 2012
Ginny’s article sums up the situation well. The “resources boom” is encouraging so much development offering opportunities for huge short term gains for a few whilst offering the rest of us a legacy of environmental damage that over the long run is likely to cost us far more.
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Graeme Fraser June 17, 2012
What is going on up there is criminal.
What is even worse is the lack of coverage in the mainstream media.
It is great that people in this forum are having there say, BUT don’t be just “outraged in these posts, go to the next stage & spread the word. Facebook is the ideal way to spread the word. Change.org offers a facility where you can make your own petition & they will send it for you.
Go that little bit EXTRA, or you are just letting it continue.
Graeme Fraser https://www.facebook.com/isthatthetruth -
Rhoda July 24, 2012
Yes, it’s deplorable but to put it in context – think of Sydney Harbour and Port Phillip Bay – back in the day. It’s not such a new thing.
As our population grows and people seek work and leisure activities it is inevitable that industry will grow with them and industry needs water, needs ports, need railways, needs bitumen and tar – all of which means more forest gets knocked over, more waterways become contaminated and more habitat destroyed.
Denying miners a route out of their mines so they can export what they dig up doesn’t solve a thing. The government wants these mines – have given them the go ahead. It makes big money out of them. And without them we can’t switch on our lights or use our dishwashers.
If there’s a solution I hope we may find it soon. There is no way we can mix oil tankers and the Barrier Reef. I’ll be lobbying my MP but doubt he has the imagination or energy to take me seriously. Do any of them?
