No more mining lobby delays on Channel Country protections

The Wilderness Society is urging the Palaszczuk Government to release the long overdue report from the Lake Eyre Basin Stakeholder Advisory Group concerning the protection of the Channel Country rivers and floodplains in the Lake Eyre Basin from new oil and gas.

Yesterday The Australian reported that the premier’s office has delayed the release of the promised regulatory impact statement (RIS) since September 2022 due to pressure from mining companies.

Wilderness Society Queensland Campaign Manager, Hannah Schuch, said Queenslanders’ wishes for this important landscape must come before the mining lobby’s.

“It’s disgraceful that concerned citizens can spend decades petitioning the government to protect this globally renowned river system just to have the voice of a mining company come in and potentially delay progress.

“Yesterday's story speaks volumes to the power the fossil fuel industry has over Queensland Labor and the lack of transparency for communities on decisions that impact nature and their livelihoods.

“The Channel Country rivers and floodplains are on the forefront of the biodiversity and climate crises, the Queensland government must get on with the job of protecting them.

“While the state government panders to the fossil fuel industry, one of the last free-flowing desert rivers landscapes on the face of the planet is at real risk of being carved up with roads, wells, drilling rigs, pipelines and wastewater storage ponds for new oil and gas–risking unique nature and community livelihoods.

“The Palaszczuk government must release the RIS and ensure communities have a genuine say to ensure protection of the Channel Country rivers and floodplains.”

For further comment contact:

Hannah Schuch, Queensland Campaigns Manager, The Wilderness Society

0434796566

[email protected]