Urgent protest over approval of dredging in Great Barrier Reef
Snap action! Nemo’s Revenge… Today - December 11, Brisbane
Urgent protest over approval of dredging in Great Barrier Reef
Environment Minister Greg Hunt has done the unthinkable and approved 3 million cubic metres of dredging at Abbot Point in the Great Barrier Reef.
He has put the interests of coal companies ahead of the Reef, and ignored the concerns of scientists, fishermen and tourism operators.
Join us for an urgent protest, where Nemo and his mates will give Hunt a taste of his own medicine by dumping buckets of mud over politicians and coal barons.
Where: Queens Park, corner of George St and Elizabeth Street, Brisbane
When: 10am
Organised by: Greenpeace, AMCS, GetUp, AYCC, Friends of the Earth.
The Federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, has given the go-ahead for four major developments to expand Queensland's Abbot Point and Curtis Island facilities.
The approvals will allow major new dredging in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park region.
Mr Hunt gave approval to the capital dredging program at Abbot Point, the Adani T0 project at Abbot Point, the Arrow Liquefied Natural Gas Facility on Curtis Island, and the Arrow Gas Transmission Pipeline to Curtis Island.
It will further industrialise and threaten the world heritage protected icon.
The projects approved by Environment Minister Greg Hunt late on Tuesday include the dredging of 3 million cubic metres of spoil – which will be dumped in the reef's waters – for the development of three coal export terminals at Abbot Point.
Mr Hunt also approved the building of a new coal terminal at Abbot Point by Indian mining giant Adani.
Approval was also given to a new processing plant for coal seam gas on Curtis Island, which includes 1.4 million cubic meters of dredging at Port Curtis and the mouth of the Calliope River near Gladstone. A pipeline to the plant – being proposed by Arrow Energy – was also approved.
Mr Hunt said the developments will have some of ‘the strictest conditions in Australian history to guard against environmental damage’.
There are 95 environmental conditions imposed on Abbot Point and 53 on the Curtis Island LNG project.
Take action
Tell the PM and Environment Minister you’re not happy
Write a letter or call and leave a message.
The Hon Tony Abbott MP
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone (02) 6277 7700
Fax: (02) 6273 4100
Tweet or post a note on his facebook page (you have to ‘like’ him to be able to comment):
https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR
https://www.facebook.com/TonyAbbottMP
Greg Hunt
Federal Minister for the Environment
Please call between 9am and 5pm (EST), Monday to Friday. Minister Hunt's office (02) 6277 7920.
- The project will 3 million cubic metres of seabed dredged and dumped in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
- Dredging and dumping in Reef waters churns up sediment which travels long distances, choking coral and marine life.
- Minister Hunt campaigned hard against dredging in Port Phillip Bay when he was in opposition. He repeatedly referred to dredge spoil as "toxic sludge" that would have serious impacts on the environment and local industry, including tourism and fishing (see his opinion piece here).
- This dredging project will make way for the largest coal port in the world at Abbot Point and facilitate the development of mega-mines in Queensland's Galilee Basin. If these mine go ahead the annual carbon emissions which will result from mining the Galilee Basin could exceed Australia's yearly emissions.
- The project directly threatens the Great Barrier Reef's $6 billion tourism industry and 60,000 jobs that rely on a healthy reef.
Thanks to Get Up for these talking points.
Twitter:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greg-Hunt-MP/430449423672955
Email: [email protected]
Feedback can be made here: http://www.greghunt.com.au/ContactGreg.aspx
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