Environmental issues such as the retention of Wild River protections, finalising a World Heritage nomination for Cape York Peninsula, and keeping native woodlands and forests safe from land clearing will be key focuses in the Queensland election, the Wilderness Society said today.

In announcing the date for the next election this morning, Premier Anna Bligh flagged that jobs, the environment and education would be her three main priorities for the campaign and for her policy platform. Wild Rivers and other environmental issues have already been a significant focus in the electorate of Ashgrove, where Campbell Newman is seeking election as an MP to become Premier.

Dr Tim Seelig, Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society in Queensland said “This election represents a major crossroads for environmental protection in this state.”

“Will Queensland continue on a progressive path with critical environmental laws and policies retained and expanded, or will we be taken backwards to the bad old days of river destruction, broadscale forest clearing, and a failure to protect unique wild places such as Cape York Peninsula?”

Queensland has some of the last remaining pristine rivers, many of them now protected under Wild Rivers, but Mr Newman has previously indicated that a Newman-led Liberal National Party government would scrap existing Wild River declarations and wind back or remove the Wild Rivers Act.

Mr Newman’s position on existing land clearing restrictions is unknown, but the parliamentary leader of the LNP, Jeff Seeney, has previously described such legislation as “repugnant”, and the Wilderness Society has serious concerns the LNP will seek to wind back land clearing laws as well.

“We call on all of the main political parties to come clean on their positions and demonstrate a strong policy commitment to the environment. In particular we urge Mr Newman and Mr Seeney to move the LNP into the 21st Century and embrace Wild River protections and landclearing controls”.

“The Wilderness Society will continue to monitor and assess what the political parties say and do on these issues, and we will be actively campaigning to both see strong positive policies adopted and to highlight good and bad policy positions where we see them.”

“Queenslanders have a right to know what the parties stand for on the environment, and the LNP in particular has yet to come clean on some core environmental issues such as land clearing”.

Campaigners and supporters from the Wilderness Society have already been out on the streets of Ashgrove to highlight the LNP’s current position, and will shortly be releasing new materials to electorate householders and the public. The Society will also be active in other electorates in Brisbane and Far North Queensland.

For further comment contact Wilderness Society Queensland Campaign Manager:
Dr Tim Seelig: 0439 201 183

Northern Australia Campaigner (Cairns based):
Gavan McFadzean: 0414 754 023

Nearly 30 000 hectares of forest will be wiped out, a pristine river will be destroyed, and a new species of crab will be severely threatened if Rio Tinto’s massive new bauxite mine is approved on Cape York Peninsula. The Wilderness Society has highlighted these outcomes in a submission into Rio Tinto’s “South of Embley Project” Environmental Impact Statement.

In publicly releasing its submission today, The Wilderness Society has pinpointed the significant threats the mine poses to the environment, and calls on Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to reject approval of the mine.

“Bauxite mining is one of the most destructive forms of mining in the world, and this new Rio Tinto mine will be no different,” said Gavan McFadzean, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society.

“The mining process involves completely bulldozing vast areas of native forest, piling up the carnage and burning it, before digging out up to ten metres of the ground layer to ship away for off-site processing. The result is environmental annihilation, with forests and wildlife habitat incinerated, and local water flows significantly altered. The damage is so great that restoration of the site after mining is always a complete failure.”

The Wilderness Society was alarmed to find that in addition to the serious landscape-wide destruction proposed for Rio Tinto’s new bauxite mine, a new freshwater crab species (Austrothelphusa sp.) was discovered in a creek on the project site, yet Rio Tinto still plans to mine very close to its habitat.

“The EIS reveals that a freshwater crab species new to western science has been discovered in the Winda Winda Creek catchment. Incredibly, Rio Tinto still plans to mine in this area and threaten this new species, so greedy are they to make an extra buck. The crab hasn’t even yet been assessed for protection under federal environment laws, which would likely list the species as endangered and potentially stall the approval of the mine,” said Mr McFadzean.

The Wilderness Society also strongly criticised Rio Tinto’s plans to dam Norman Creek, starving the river system of up to 50% of its natural flows.

“Rio Tinto already has water supply from their existing dam and groundwater bores at their Weipa mine. The only reason they are proposing a dam for this new mine further south is to avoid the extra costs of transporting the bauxite a mere 50km to Weipa. This is the company that posted a $14.25 billion profit in the 2010 calendar year – it is ridiculous that our environment will be destroyed to continue to fill the pockets of this mega-corporation,” said Mr McFadzean.

Rio Tinto wants to begin mining in about 2014 and mine the area for 40 years.

A copy of The Wilderness Society's submission into the EIS can be viewed here.

Generations of Australians to come will be able to witness the spectacular event we have just seen – the glorious transformation of the iconic Lake Eyre into a wildlife wonderland – when the Queensland Government finalises the protection of two main rivers systems that feed the lake from the devastating effects of mining and water extraction.

The Georgina and Diamantina rivers will be protected under draft Wild River declarations released by the Queensland Government today, and the Wilderness Society has urged Premier Anna Bligh to stand firm against an expected backlash from the rapacious mining industry during the public consultation period before the final decision is made.

“There is growing unrest right across Queensland about the very serious threat the rapidly expanding mining industry poses to the health of our rivers, forests, marine life and farmlands,” said Wilderness Society Wild Rivers campaigner Glenn Walker.

“It's clear that the Lake Eyre Basin has now become a major target of the mining industry, with 80 per cent of this special country now covered in exploration or mining permits.”

When completed, the Wild River declarations will establish a narrow protective buffer zone around key rivers, floodplains and lakes, within which new mining and irrigated agriculture cannot occur.

But the Wilderness Society stressed that the buffer zones are not yet protected from the rapacious coal seam gas mining industry.

“This is a major flaw requiring urgent attention in the proposed declarations,” Mr Walker said. “The coal seam gas boom is outstripping regulations such as the Wild Rivers laws. Our regulations must be improved to tackle this burgeoning industry and its harmful impacts.”

“Queensland’s rivers flowing into Lake Eyre are one of Australia's great natural wonders. Flowing hundreds of kilometres into iconic outback wetlands and lakes as far as South Australia, the sporadic flooding of these river systems triggers a spectacular transformation of Australia's arid heart into a lush, flourishing landscape brimming with thousands of birds, fish and wildflowers. This natural cycle is also vital for local industries such as tourism and grazing.”

The Wilderness Society called for bi-partisan support for the Wild River declarations.

“Premier Anna Bligh has shown a strong commitment to protecting our last wild rivers across the state,” Mr Walker said. “This is a major environmental achievement, and her government deserves recognition for this.”

“We strongly urge Campbell Newman to end the divisive and confusing position of his party on Wild Rivers and get behind the protection of these vital natural assets from mining exploitation. We remind Campbell Newman that the Queensland Liberal Party voted for the Wild Rivers legislation in 2005 - it’s about time Mr Newman restored this sensible position for his party and demonstrated environmental leadership.”

Media Enquiries:
Glenn Walker, Wild Rivers Campaigner, 0417 645 927