Parliamentary protest update: Our Land, Our Water, Our Future

Farmers, environmentalists and concerned citizens will take their voices to state parliament at midday on Wednesday the 4th of August to demand that the Queensland Government protects Queensland’s cropping land, ground water and rural communities from coal and coal seam gas mining.

Six Degrees spokesperson Drew Hutton expects a diverse and colourful crowd of people concerned by the unprecedented expansion of the coal and gas industries to attend. As Mr Hutton said of the protest: 

People won’t just sit back and watch as the Queensland Government gives coal and gas mining companies the okay to turn our irreplaceable farmland and environment into an industrial wasteland.  

Our climate and nature reserves are under threat and farmers and rural residents can’t rely on the state laws to protect their land, groundwater, communities and livelihoods from mining.

Our most productive food growing areas and irreplaceable artesian water resources are under serious threat.

The protest has been prompted by the Queensland Government’s plans to double coal exports and allow 40 000 gas wells on the Darling Downs. This has brought together farmers and environmentalists from across the state.

The groups Friends of the Earth, Save our Darling Downs, Community Climate Network Queensland, Friends of Felton, the Queensland Conservation Council and Six Degrees are all concerned about the threats posed to valuable cropping land, rural communities, the Great Artesian Basin and our climate.

As Mr Hutton said: 

This demonstration will be a People's Assembly, where we'll combine the strength of the farming and environmental movements.

We will be there to put pressure on the government to stop the reckless expansion of coal and coal seam gas mining on high quality agricultural land and in the midst of vulnerable rural communities.

Our preparations for this demonstration brought together farmers and environmentalists to step up the  pressure on the government to stop the reckless expansion of coal and coal seam gas mining.

Dave Armstrong is one of the many farmers from the Darling Downs who will be at the protest. Mr Armstrong said: 

We're fighting the complete industrialisation of land that has the best farming soil in the nation.

We simply want a pause so that the science of what is happening is properly explored.

This protest follows on from the dynamic protest actions at the Community Cabinet meeting in Roma last week, and the massive community gatherings at Kingaroy on Tuesday to call for an end to underground coal gasification in Queensland.

To support landholders and farmers directly affected by coal and coal seam gas mining, please come to the parliamentary protest on Wednesday August 4th at 12pm.

Speakers will include: 

• Ruth Armstrong (Basin Sustainability Alliance)
• Rob McCreath (Friends of Felton)
• Jo Bragg (Environmental Defenders Office)
• Scott Collins (Western Downs Alliance)
• Drew Hutton (Friends of the Earth)

Morning tea provided from 11am in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. All welcome! 

See here for the flyer and related information.