direct action

Hundreds of farmers in southeast Queensland have vowed to lock their gates to keep coal and gas explorers at bay. Representatives of eight farmers' and residents' organisations joined the Six Degrees campaign of Friends of the Earth outside the Queensland parliament on Monday to launch the Lock the Gate campaign. They are opposed to miners' plans for up to 40,000 coal seam gas (CSG) wells and massive new coal mines on the rich agricultural lands of the Darling Downs.

 All photos credit: Chris Niblett

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The Lock the Gate movement is gathering momentum as more and more communities around the country are refusing to negotiate access to coal and coal seam gas companies, regardless of what approvals governments might have given.

3,000 people yesterday marched through the streets of Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales calling for the gate to be locked on the coal and coal seam gas industries right around the country.

Veteran wildlife campaigner Bob Irwin reckons his late famous son would have been proud of his arrest at a coal seam gas (CSG) protest in Queensland.

Mr Irwin has been charged with ignoring police orders to remove himself from a road blockade aimed at stopping the construction of a 16-kilomtre gas pipeline in the state's south.

Queensland Gas Company (QGC) has again been called to explain its actions after another landholder has accused the mining company of breaching its access agreement. Six Degrees spokesperson and Friends of the Earth campaigner Drew Hutton said lawyers for landowner Bryce Keating had complained that QGC had breached its agreement by clearing vegetation for a road wider than the 20 metres stated in their contract. Despite the challenge, QGC had resumed construction activities on the private land, raising the question of whether mining companies should be able to access private land when the terms of the access agreement were challenged.

In the face of calls for a moratorium on coal and gas mining on the Darling Downs, and threats from landholders that they'll lock their gates to keep mining companies out, the Premier today announced the formation of what she calls an "enforcement unit". The 36-member enforcement unit is a supposed bid to allay some of the farmer and environmental concerns surrounding the coal seam gas industry. In effect, its role will be to enforce the new Land Access Laws, which carry a fine of up to $50,000 to any farmer who denies entry to a mining company.

The Friends of Felton have started a campaign of "civil disobedience" against the company that is planning to build an open cut coal mine at Felton.

This morning over 25 concerned citizens have recreated a nature refuge at the entrance of Clive Palmer's office at 380 Queen St, Brisbane, recreating a nature refuge to let him know just what his China First coal project is costing Queensland.

Yesterday's People's Assembly at Queensland's Parliament House brought together hundreds of farming families and environmentalists to Queensland Parliament - united in their opposition to coal and gas mining on prime agricultural lands. 

The peaceful protest combined the strength and the passion of the farming and environmental movements of Queensland to put pressure on the State Government to protect farming land and nature refuges from the encroachment of all forms of coal mining and the potential poisoning of waterways.

THE Queensland Government is facing an increasingly united front against the incursion of mining onto prime agricultural land.

As Premier Anna Bligh prepares for a series of government and industry-directed community forums through regions affected by coal seam gas, the grassroots protest movement continues to strengthen.