We congratulate Mr. Foley, Maryborough MP, for standing alongside other Queensland Independents and voting for a moratorium on all coal seam gas mining operations in Queensland. Unfortunately both Labor and the LNP parties banded together to vote to amend this motion by Aiden McLinden therefore nullifying it.
We believe that any corporation which takes away people’s rights to say no to commercial mining operations which have the potential to have a negative impact on their lives, whether it be their right to;
- Derive an income from their quality farming land
- Have clean, uncontaminated water supplies for their family and stock
- Clean, unpolluted air
- Clean, unpolluted waterways
- A peaceful environment
, is A VIOLATION OF THEIR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.
We can only hope and pray that Mr.Foley continues his stance against any mining operations which comply with the above by saying to no to the Fraser Coast becoming the next CSG & open cut coal mining region.
The reality is we need mining in Australia but not at the expense of the environment and community health. This is an enormous country and state with enormous amounts of resources. Do we really need to mine so close to communities and tourist destinations? Are we going to risk all that we have in this beautiful environment for the sake of a handful of jobs where the profits line the pockets of shareholders, many of who are foreign, while our Fraser Coast suffers irreversible damage to its environment -the Mary River, The Great Sandy Straits and our pristine reputation as an environmentally clean, tourist destination. If so, unfortunately we fear that the pains of our grandchildren will be on our conscience.
The regional director for public health on the Central Coast of NSW, Dr. Peter Lewis (2010, SMH), has recently warned in his letter to the NSW planning Department that a proposed open cut coal mining operation near Wyong would cause air pollution leading to respiratory problems and an increasing death rate. He goes on to state that the concern existed because any increased exposure to particulate pollution is associated with increased adverse health outcomes, even if the levels are below the current guidelines (2010, SMH).
We believe that neither NEC nor the Department of Environment & Resource Management can guarantee that this proposed open cut coal mine or those which are currently being explored from Tiaro to Bundaberg will not impact negatively on these fragile surroundings.