Waterbirds, Aurukun wetlands, Photo: Kerry Trapnell

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has nominated Saturday, 24 March, for the Queensland election, and has flagged the environment as one of her three major priorities to focus on during the election campaign (alongside jobs and education).

This presents a major opportunity to put the big issues like Wild River protection and controlling mining on Cape York Peninsula firmly on the election campaign agenda.

We have already been campaigning hard to ensure the best election outcome for the environment. We’ve been active with street stalls, running TV ads and huge billboards in Brisbane, getting our voice heard in the media, and talking to the parties about their positions on key environment issues.

Liberal Nation Party leader Campbell Newman has committed to scrapping Wild River protections if elected – a very poor decision. So our focus to date has been strongly based around highlighting Mr Newman’s anti-environment stance, particularly in the crucial electorate of Ashgrove.

Wild Rivers under threat

Overall the 2012 election represents a major crossroads for environmental protection in Queensland.  Over the last couple of decades, the state has moved to a much more progressive position on forest protection and land-clearing (it used to be the clearing capital of Australia), wild river protections, and advancing work on large scale conservation for Cape York Peninsula - one of our last great wild places - including World Heritage nomination.

Notwithstanding these progressive environmental steps, both the current Queensland Labor Government and the Liberal Nation Party still support the massive expansion of coal, bauxite, sand mining and coal seam gas across the state, which pose a growing threat to our most special natural places.

So the big question this election is - will Queensland continue on a forward looking path or will we witness the undoing of such significant achievements?

Right up to the 24th of March we will campaign strongly on Wild Rivers, given how critical these protections are, and how important it is for the Liberal Nation Party to embrace them. We will also be campaigning on commitments to finalise a World Heritage nomination for Cape York Peninsula, reining in mining in sensitive ecological areas, marine protections and retaining native woodlands and forests safe from land clearing.

Queenslanders have a right to know what the political parties - especially those who may form the next Government - and their leaders will or will not do in protecting the environment. We will remain a loud and clear voice during the election campaign to ensure Queensland takes the path of environmental protection.

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Bauxite mining tree clearing and burning. Photograph: The Wilderness Society collection.

With the region currently being considered for World Heritage and National Heritage listing, we have written to Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke requesting urgent intervention to ensure that high natural and cultural values are not destroyed while community consultation for these listings is underway.

The Wilderness Society has sought emergency National Heritage listing for four areas on Cape York Peninsula under serious threat from destructive mining proposals (see map below).

The mining boom is driving an outbreak of new mining proposals on Cape York Peninsula for coal, bauxite, kaolin and mineral sands. There are six new mines now proposed for Cape York Peninsula. Each requires a new port and combined would wipe out 45,000 hectares of forest and native grassland.

These mines will bring destructive land clearing, water extraction, pollution, dams, dredging, vast road networks and other industrial infrastructure to pristine and remote locations in Cape York Peninsula – destroying the very values for which the region is being assessed for World Heritage and National Heritage listing.

Cape York Peninsula is internationally renowned for its extraordinary natural and cultural values, with a unique and intact mosaic of rainforest, savannah, wetlands, dune fields, wild rivers and coral reefs.

The region is a hotspot for biodiversity, boasting half of Australia’s bird species, more than half of our butterfly species, a third of our mammal species and 20 per cent of our plant species. There are 264 plants and 40 vertebrate species found only on Cape York Peninsula, with more being discovered almost every year.

Because of these globally significant conservation values, the Bligh and Gillard Governments have been working with local communities to develop a World Heritage nomination and National Heritage listing for the region. But the spate of mining proposals seriously undermines the current consultation process and the future effectiveness of these conservation measures.

It’s untenable for Minister Burke to pursue protection for Cape York while giving the green light to destructive mining proposals. The Minister must act swiftly to place these four highly threatened areas on the emergency National Heritage list.

Take Action

Sign up as a cyberactivist and receive regular updates on the Wilderness Society campaigns.

Support our campaigns by making a tax deductible donation.

Email the Party Leaders

The best thing you can do right now, which will only take a minute, is to email Premier Anna Bligh and Liberal-National Party Leader Campbell Newman, letting them know that they must protect the best of Queensland's environment.

QLD's Top 5 Environment Priorities

Don't forget to mention Queensland's top 5 environmental priorities in your email:

1. Safeguard our forests and control landclearing

2. Preserve our unique wild rivers

3. Apply strong environmental controls on mining development

4. World Heritage protection for Cape York Peninsula

5. Save our marine life from overfishing

We'll be providing more actions and contacts here to keep the pressure on the politicians as the campaign progresses.

Free Action Pack

We've also put together "Action Packs" for people wanting to step up their activism a notch and blitz the politicians with environmental messages.

Action Pack intro to campaign kit

3 simple things you can do for Queensland

Why these top 5 environmental priorities are important

Meeting in person with your local candidates

Sample letter to Campbell Newman

Contact brisbane@wilderness.org.au or call us (07) 3846 1420 and we'd be happy to post you out an Action Pack.

Want to get more involved?

There is lots to do in the lead up to the Queensland election. You can join the Brisbane Wilderness Action Group (WAG) or contact the Brisbane Campaign Centre for more information on how you can help.

Perhaps it was this ‘ecological impulse’ that prompted 13 year-old Mia Stone to walk into the Wilderness Society’s Cairns Campaign Centre last year looking for ways to be more involved in our campaign to protect Cape York Peninsula - a place regarded as one of the most important wilderness areas on Earth.

A wonderful poster of the two possible paths for Cape York by Mia Stone.

Covering 137,000 square kilometres, Cape York Peninsula is twice the size of Tasmania. Many of the plants and animals that live in the region are found nowhere else on the planet, and new species are still being discovered. However much of this unique landscape remains unprotected and under threat from mining exploration and land-clearing.

“Recently I spent some time living overseas near a mine site,” explains Mia. “It was there that I saw first-hand the irreversible damage that mining had done to the stunning surroundings, and the hugely detrimental effect that it had on living organisms in the area. I don't want the same thing to happen to Cape York”.

After talking to our campaigners, Mia decided to create a poster depicting two alternate futures for Cape York: one in which the area is declared a World Heritage site and protected for the benefit of younger generations like Mia’s; the other in which mining companies are given permission to exploit the land, spoiling its rich natural and cultural heritage forever.

“Cape York is priceless”, says Mia. “The value of its unspoilt land can never compare with short-term gains as a result of mining. Once its gone, we can never get it back again”.

“Mia is passionate about protecting Queensland’s wilderness and determined to inspire that passion within her peers”, says Di Horsburgh, Cairns Community Campaigner. “She is a prime example that you’re never too young to be actively involved in protecting, promoting and restoring our wild places”.

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