The Wilderness Society (TWS) will today launch its campaign to secure strong environmental platforms from the ALP and LNP ahead of the Queensland election, with a particular focus on turning around Liberal National Party leader Campbell Newman’s anti-environment agenda.

The campaign – which includes billboards, television ads, letterbox flyers and talking directly to voters in key electorates – aims to improve the environmental policies of all parties, and inform the public about their policies and the issues, such as land-clearing and Wild Rivers.

A huge billboard was unveiled today at the busy Normanby five-ways intersection, which captures significant traffic from the key electorate of Ashgrove, where Mr Newman is attempting to unseat former Environment Minister Kate Jones.

The billboard includes a spectacular photo of the Pascoe River on Cape York Peninsula and ask: “Campbell Newman – why won’t you protect our wild places?”. The Pascoe River will soon be considered for protection under Wild Rivers laws, but is under threat from coal mining.

Television ads just released also feature third-generation western Queensland grazier Angus Emmott calling for rivers to be protected from mining development. TWS is seeking a response from Mr Newman about why he has committed to scrapping the Wild Rivers Act, and why he won’t promise to protect Queensland’s special environment.

An electronic billboard in between the electorates of Cairns and Barron River has already been launched by TWS, who have also letterboxed four key electorates and started a postcard campaign in Far North Qld.

“We are keen to work with any party to strengthen their environmental credentials because that’s what Queenslanders want,” said Dr Tim Seelig, Queensland Campaign Manager.

“But already Campbell Newman has indicated he will wind back environmental protections, including revoking Wild Rivers declarations. This is an appalling stance and we urge him to reconsider.”

“Scrapping Wild Rivers will open up Queensland’s free flowing rivers to destructive mining and new dams. For example, the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on Cape York Peninsula would be threatened by bauxite mining if Mr Newman winds back the wild river declaration for the Wenlock River.”

TWS is also seriously concerned that Mr Newman may be planning to water down Queensland’s land-clearing laws, and halt progress on a World Heritage nomination for Cape York Peninsula.

“Campbell Newman refers to saving a few hectares and a few trees he planted when Mayor of Brisbane rather than being clear on what he would do as Premier. There are 20 million hectares of bushland that could go under the bulldozer if land-clearing laws are watered down.”

“Mr Newman must promise that if elected, he will protect Queensland’s environment and leave Queensland’s environment laws intact”

TWS will also be pressuring Premier Anna Bligh to toughen the ALP’s stance on destructive mining, including protecting Queensland’s rivers from mining threats like contamination from coal seam gas, banning mining on nature refuges, and stopping coal mining in Cape York Peninsula.

TWS is seeking strong policy commitments from all parties on Queensland’s top five environmental priorities:

1. Safeguard our forests and control land clearing;
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 over fishing.

Media Enquiries: Dr Tim Seelig, Queensland Campaign Manager: 0439 201 183

The Wilderness Society and Friends of the Earth have slammed the Bligh Government for allowing Clive Palmer to pursue plans for a giant coal mine over the Bimblebox Nature Refuge near Alpha in central Queensland. The groups joined with one of Bimblebox’s property owners, Paola Cassoni, in a colourful protest at Queensland Parliament House this morning, demanding that Premier Bligh immediately protect Bimblebox and other nature refuges from mining.

Paola Cassoni said: “When we entered into a nature refuge agreement with the Queensland Government, we thought the wildlife and woodlands on our property would be protected forever. Instead the government has let Clive Palmer apply for a huge coal mine right over the refuge, which will decimate everything.”

The 8000 hectare Bimblebox property was purchased in 2000 with help from the Australian Government’s National Reserve System program, in recognition of its remnant woodlands and high diversity of birds, reptiles and other animals. Ms Cassoni and Bimblebox co-owners signed a nature refuge agreement with the Queensland Government in 2003 with the aim of giving permanent protection to the property.

Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal released the EIS for their massive new coal mine earlier this month. The mine involves an open-cut mine over 52% of the refuge, with the remainder of the property subject to damaging underground long-wall mining.

“If Bimblebox is mined, it will prove Queensland’s nature refuge program to be an absolute farce,” said Glenn Walker, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society. “There is no refuge for nature in an open-cut coal mine.”

“The case of Bimblebox demonstrates the need to urgently protect nature refuges from destructive mining. The Bligh Government can not claim to be increasing Queensland’s protected area estate through nature refuge agreements when it is clear to all that it’s still open-slather for the mining industry,” said Mr Walker.

“Does Premier Bligh support Clive Palmer’s coal destruction, or does she support the protection of nature?” said Bradley Smith, spokesperson for Friends of the Earth Brisbane.

“If Premier Bligh is serious about nature protection, she will move to urgently amend Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act to ban mining on nature refuges. Clive Palmer’s dirty coal mine over Bimblebox should not have even got to the EIS stage – there should be no mining exploration permits or leases granted over any nature refuge,” said Mr Smith.

Media Enquiries:

Paola Cassoni, Bimblebox Nature Refuge: 0459 956 240
Glenn Walker, The Wilderness Society: 0417 645 927
Bradley Smith, Friends of the Earth Brisbane: 0413 280 006

With just twelve months until the NT election, the Environment Centre NT and the Wilderness Society and the Australian Marine Conservation Society are putting pressure on our political parties and independents to lift their environmental credentials.

In particular, conservation groups are looking for significant progress on priority Territory environmental issues:

1. Stop major land clearing – Ensure strong tree clearing legislation is passed by Christmas.
2. Protect healthy rivers – Introduce new laws to protect our free flowing rivers from mining, land clearing, dams and major irrigation. Priority river catchments are the Daly, Roper, Adelaide, Finke, McArthur and Mary.
3. Establish, maintain and resource a world-class network of marine sanctuaries - The Territory has one of the healthiest tropical marine ecosystems on the planet, but less than 1% is protected.

Stuart Blanch from the environment Centre NT said, "Controlling major land clearing protects wildlife, cuts carbon pollution, maintains soil and river health and underpins the livelihoods and prosperity of river communities and businesses. The Henderson government said it would pass the Native Vegetation Management Act by mid 2010 and we think the process to develop strong tree clearing controls has stalled."

The Wilderness Society’s Gavan McFadzean said, "The Territory has nearly three dozen river systems, with all at risk from different impacts such as weeds, feral animals and land clearing. The Labor government promised to introduce Healthy Rivers legislation to protect our best catchment areas for future generations, but little progress has been made."

Jess Abrahams from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said, "The Territory Labor government promised to create marine sanctuaries at the 2001 election. A decade has passed, and despite consensus from scientists on the need for sanctuaries, and a recent announcement from the Federal Government on marine reserves in commonwealth waters, the Territory government has done nothing to protect our tropical sealife."

"NT waters are home to globally significant populations of rare wildlife including sea turtles, dugongs and snubfin dolphins, but they are under threat from commercial and recreational fishing, oil and gas development and sea-bed mining."

"Meanwhile the Country Liberal Party (CLP) has not made its position on these issues clear," said Gavan McFadzean. "They need to reassure the public that if elected they will be responsible custodians of the Territory’s unique, intact yet fragile, natural environment."

"The CLP need to make their position on environmental issues clear to Territoreans. It will be a key test to see whether they are fit to govern," Stuart Blanch said.

"We want to see detailed, considered and costed policy announcements from all parties well out from the election, instead of the cynical, last minuted hatched together policy announcements we often see on the eve of elections to woo the green vote," said Gavan McFadzean.

Further comment:
Stuart Blanch m: 0448 887 303
Gavan McFadzean m: 0414 754 023
Jess Abrahams m: 0407 043 457

Eastern Gas Managing Director David Casey must be dreaming with his recent comments that the company’s Narrabri Gas Field will be approved by early next year, the Wilderness Society says. Mr Casey was quoted as saying, "Currently, our best estimate is that Federal and NSW regulatory approvals will be in place… in early 2012".[1]

Warrick Jordan, Campaign Manager at The Wilderness Society Newcastle, says it’s virtually impossible for that to happen in light of the scale of the project and current uncertainty over NSW mining and planning policy, with this uncertainty setting back major projects such as Aston Resources’ Maules Creek coal mine.

"Estimates of state and federal approval being in place in six months appear wildly optimistic. While Mr Casey may wish to see environmental assessments rushed through, Eastern Star are dreaming if they believe that an adequate approvals process for such a massive project can be done in six months," Mr Jordan said.

"The assessment requires full community consultation and proper consideration of environmental impacts on 85,000 hectares of forest, 1600 km of pipeline, a RAMSAR wetland, the marine environment, and the Great Artesian Basin. There needs to be two separate environmental impact statements, and separate approvals by state and federal agencies. You don’t get these things out of cornflakes packets."

The project, involving NSW’s largest coal-seem gas field in the iconic Pilliga, an export terminal at Newcastle, and pipelines to Wellington and Newcastle, has been called in for high-level environmental assessment by the Commonwealth.

"There are multiple reasons why approval in early 2012 appears highly unlikely," Mr Jordan said. "In regards to NSW, it is unclear if the Eastern Star project will be assessed under the previous Part 3A Major Projects legislation, and if it is, whether new legislation that may require modeling on aquifer interference and the protection of high conservation values will apply."

"Aston Resources recently put back its forecast for approval for the Maules Creek coal project due to uncertainty related to mining policy changes by the NSW Coalition government, [2] and the community backlash against the state government’s proposed fast-tracking of the Shenhua mine on the Liverpool Plains demonstrates real uncertainty.[3] It appears Eastern Star has not yet caught up with this reality."

The project area in the Pilliga is a recharge area for the Great Artesian Basin and includes habitat for threatened species, endangered ecological communities, and an area protected under legislation for its natural values.

"At the Federal level, the project hasn’t yet been issued with the guidelines that dictate the environmental work to be done and there also should be consultation on those guidelines,” Mr Jordan said. “The Minister’s consideration of the impacts of the APLNG project in Queensland took almost four months by itself, after the impact statement was submitted" [4].

"At both State and Commonwealth level, a rigorous environmental assessment likely requires flora and fauna surveying over four seasons, and potentially multiple years [5]. Given the inadequacy of the survey work presented so far, the unprecedented area of forest to be impacted (around 85,000 ha), and the need to undertake highly-precise surveys due to the area’s high conservation values, it is unlikely survey work can be completed before at least mid-next year."

Media Contact: Warrick Jordan, Campaign Manager, The Wilderness Society Newcastle, 0451 633 197

1. Open Briefing, 25 May 2011. http://www.openbriefing.com.au/OB/Eastern-Star-Gas-Limited/2011/5/25/MD-on-Narrabri-CSG-Project-progress/394.aspx

2. Steel Guru, 29 May 2011. http://www.steelguru.com/raw_material_news/Moratorium_puts_Maules_Creek_on_hold/207435.html

3. ABC, 15 June 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201106/s3244027.htm

4. APLNG, 22 February 2011. http://aplng.com.au/pdf/APLNG_EIS_Federal_Approval_22Feb2011.pdf

5. For example, the nationally-endangered Regent Honeyeater is most likely to visit the Pilliga in Autumn and Winter.