coal communities

40 members of the community action group Friends of Felton ambushed Premier Anna Bligh as she arrived at Toowoomba radio station CFM for a broadcast yesterday, reported the Toowoomba Chronicle. 

Despite her attempts to avoid politics in her radio appearance, Friends of Felton managed to ensure that at least the Premier was able to see the extent of community support for their campaign to prevent mining on good agricultural land.

A 500 strong crowd of farmers, environmentalists and concerned citizens gathered at 'Waverley' on Wednesday 19th May to take part in a peaceful rally against the expansion of the Coal Seam Gas Mining Industry on the Darling Downs.

They were accompanied by the massing of 54 cotton and grain harvesters and tractors in a kilometre long blockade - to provide a strong show of farm power to protest against the intrusion of mining companies on prime agricultural land.

The farmers cheered when rally organiser Dave Armstrong called for a moratorium on mining activities so that major environment issues, such as the mining companies' proposed use of large quantities of underground water, could be addressed.

'Waverley' is the first intensive cropping property on the black soil plains that has been approached by a mining company looking to prove their methane reserves in the area.

An announcement by the Bligh government that it will introduce new laws this week to supposedly harmonise relations between farmers and coal seam gas miners has been met with scepticism by both farmers and environmentalists. The media release from the office of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister, Stephen Robertson, is a turgid mixture of wishful thinking, political spin and outright lies.

A "bushie revolt" is being staged in the Western Downs of Queensland, according to the Toowoomba Chronicle, as outraged landholders fight to keep mining companies from consuming the region’s farming lands and invading residential areas.

At a meeting in Dalby on the 16th of April, 2010, Queensland Leader of the Opposition John-Paul Langbroek outlined the five planks of the LNP's commitment to the preservation of prime agricultural land. His speech is provided in full here.

Friends of the Earth Australia has denounced the development of two new coal export terminals near Bowen in North Queensland, insisting the expansion of Queensland's biggest contributor to climate change must come to an end.

Steve Austin from 612 ABC Radio interviewed Drew Hutton on the 19th April on the impact of 40,000 proposed coal seam gas wells across rural Queensland.  Download the interview here. 

Whilst the news of Clive Palmer's maybe-binding-maybe-not multi million tonne coal deal with China has dominated the news this week and highlighted Queensland's ongoing love affair with the coal industry we have had a substantial win on another front.

Elves upended sacks of coal in the executive building at lunchtime today as others delivered 300 Christmas cards to the Premier, to the tune of a choir coal carolers.

The 300 Christmas cards were individually penned by Brisbane residents and were presented to the premier along with sacks of coal by Friends of the Earth activists dressed as elves.