The environmental impact statement for the Queensland Government’s proposal to dredge 1.1 million cubic metres of sea-floor in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area at Abbot Point and dump the spoil on land next to the Caley Valley Wetlands was forwarded to Canberra today. The final decision on the port’s development is now  in the hands of the Commonwealth Government.

The port expansion would be for the ‘unbankable’ Carmichael mega mine, which has failed to attract investors and been rejected by 14 major banks.

“This is not the economic solution and not a jobs solution for Queensland. This is a project that threatens the Reef directly through the removal of important seagrass habitat, home to fish, dugongs and dolphins,” Greenpeace Reef Campaigner Shani Tager said.

“And why? For a coal mine that might not happen, and certainly should never happen. This dredging would risk our fragile Reef for a dying coal industry that will only heighten the risk of climate change.

“The Queensland Government has committed to not proceed with dredging unless Carmichael has its finances arranged. The mine is nowhere near attaining financial closure. So why is Queensland still pushing ahead with the approvals when the company doesn't have the money?,” said Ms Tager.

Carmichael would produce 121 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year at full production, fueling the biggest threat to the Reef - climate change.

ENDS

The Taiwan Fisheries Agency (TFA) announced it will suspend the license of the Taiwanese-flagged Shuen De Ching No. 888 for eight months and fine the vessel TWD 150,000 (around US$4,600) after finding it had illegally caught and finned sharks, including the protected silky shark species. Greenpeace activists busted the ship last month and alerted the TFA after finding 95 kilograms of illegally caught shark fins aboard.

“The TFA’s penalty is inadequate and lower than the penalties imposed by other countries on vessels that have been caught fishing illegally. This sends the message that illegal Taiwanese fishing vessels, if caught, will only get a slap on the wrist,” said Ning Yen, Greenpeace East Asia Oceans Campaigner.

“Internationally, it is the norm that illegal fishing fines are up to five times the value of the catch. The penalties imposed on this ship are nowhere near this, and are unacceptable. Furthermore, Greenpeace activists found evidence that transshipment of catch had taken place on the SD888, which the TFA has yet to fully investigate,” she said.

Besides suspected transshipment activity on the SD888, Ms. Yen said there are pending investigations into unaccounted catch, falsification of the ship’s logbook and the captain’s admission that fish had been transferred to another vessel.

The EU earlier this month issued Taiwan a ‘yellow card’ - a precursor to an import ban - for  failing to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing the Pacific and other oceans.

“With the largest fishing fleet in the Pacific, Taiwan has a special responsibility to lead by example when it comes to stopping the illegal fishing that is devastating fish stocks and local economies.

“Taiwan has 1,300 vessels operating in the Pacific, and the case of the SD888 is just a tip of the iceberg. We urge Taiwan to be transparent and to publicly declare all other illegal cases to show the severity of illegal fishing.

“We also want to see broader reform of Taiwan’s fisheries industry and legislation governing it. We have provided a policy brief to the government that would place Taiwan as a leader in fisheries management if it was adopted.

“It is time for Taiwan to choose whether it wants to reward illegal fishing, or to truly clamp down on this activity,” said Ms. Yen.

ENDS

“While we welcome government discussions on alternative energy sources, it's completely nonsensical to even pose the idea of building nuclear power stations in Australia when we have such an abundance of truly clean and renewable energy on our doorstep,” said Emma Gibson, Head of Program for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“If we used just 1 percent of land in Australia, we could produce enough electricity to power the whole country. [1]

“Nuclear power, on the other hand, is expensive, dirty and unreliable. It leaves a legacy of radioactive waste which remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years.

“We only have to look at the Fukushima disaster in Japan to be reminded of the health, social and economic impacts of a nuclear accident, and to see that this is not a safe option for Australians.

“No nuclear reactor has ever been built to deadline or within budget. Nuclear power is an expensive distraction from the real solutions to climate change, like solar and wind power.

“Any government seriously considering the nuclear option needs its head testing,” said Ms Gibson.

ENDS

[1] http://bit.ly/1H8AagD

“We’re here to tell the coal industry that Australian taxpayers have had enough of funding their dirty unsustainable projects. Coal bosses are drinking champagne and congratulating themselves tonight after another year of earning vast salaries, but it’s the Australian people who have to pay the price,” said Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Nikola Casule.

As a who’s who of Australian mining gathered at the Sofitel in Sydney for the Prospect Mining Awards, Greenpeace activists staged a game show event in the venue, offering handfuls of mock hundred dollar bills to coal mining executives.

“Federal and state governments give the fossil fuel industry billions of dollars of hard-earned taxpayer money in subsidies and tax breaks every year. The money wasted on production subsidies for the coal mining industry each year could alone pay for an extra 30,000 nurses or 60 new primary schools or 12,000 GPs," said Mr Casule.

The Australian Government provides $1.8 billion in production subsidies to the coal mining industry every year.[1] According to the IMF, Australia provides fossil fuel subsidies equivalent to $1,712 per person per year, or around $40 billion a year. These subsidies contribute to the air pollution, global warming, health impacts and traffic congestion that are caused by dirty fossil fuels, as well as $5.5 billion as direct fossil fuel subsidy or foregone tax revenue. [2]

“The coal bosses say they are bringing prosperity, but in fact they are taking money from all Australian taxpayers, so they can keep the dying and dirty fossil fuels industries alive,” Dr Casule said. “We want our taxes to pay for schools, hospitals and public services, not environmental destruction.” 

[1] http://www.carbontracker.org/report/coal-subsidies/

[2] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2015/new070215a.htm

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia’s biggest bank and one of the largest listed companies on the ASX, affirmed its support for taking action to keep global warming below 2 degrees and unveiled new carbon disclosure reporting requirements.

“Commonwealth Bank’s recognition of the damage that fossil fuels are doing to the environment and of the need to take strong action against global warming is timely,” said Nikola Casule, Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate and energy campaigner.

“However, it is concerning that the bank’s carbon disclosure calculations do not include indirect emissions from the products of companies it invests in (‘Scope 3 emissions’). This means that the Commonwealth Bank has left the door open to investing in Australian coal mines without taking into account the emissions that coal creates when it’s exported and burnt overseas.

“The science is clear: to meet a two degree target, 90% of Australia’s known coal reserves have to stay in the ground. This includes all of the coal in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. The credibility of the Commonwealth Bank’s position hinges on whether it moves to end its involvement in financing destructive fossil fuel projects in Australia and overseas,” concluded Dr Casule.

The CBA announced on 5 August 2015, that it would not be involved in providing finance for Adani’s unviable Carmichael coal mine in Queensland, which threatens the Great Barrier Reef.

If built, Carmichael would be Australia’s largest coal mine and one of the biggest in the world. On the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, its port expansion would require massive seafloor dredging, resulting in hundreds more coal ships through Reef waters. At 28,000 hectares, it would also produce 121 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions yearly at maximum production, driving climate change - the greatest threat to the Reef.

Nikola Casule, Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate and energy campaigner, said:

“This is welcome leadership for the financial sector from NAB, acknowledging the crucial role banks play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, and supporting a transition to renewable energy.

“Their financing commitment of $18bn by 2022 is a concrete contribution that draws a line in the sand and invites other financial institutions to make similar pledges.

“With their announcement, NAB has shown that it recognises the financial and social benefits from investing in renewable energy assets.”

The announcement comes on the same day that Commonwealth Bank announced its own commitment to a 2 degree climate change target.

Earlier this year NAB became the first major Australian bank to unequivocally rule out involvement in Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland, the biggest proposed thermal coal mine in Australia.

“NAB’s policy places it at the head of the Big Four Australian banks. However, the science is clear that keeping global warming to below 2 degrees will require 90% of Australia’s coal to stay in the ground. The credibility of NAB’s commitment to a safe climate hinges on whether the bank will not only make good its $18bn pledge, but also decisively move away from financing fossil fuel projects altogether,” concluded Dr Casule.

ENDS

“What we are seeing is mere lip service to environmental protection from the parties to the agreement, which has been touted as the largest ever free trade deal.

“Given the scope of the agreement and the time it has taken to negotiate, there is a complete lack of leadership and vision where it comes to environmental protection.

“This agreement sets a benchmark for other regional free trade agreements and therefore it’s likely these weaknesses will be repeated.

“The chapter on the environment is deeply disappointing because there are no new standards for environmental protection, merely a reinforcement of existing national and multilateral laws.

“Even then, there is an emphasis on ensuring countries’ domestic environmental laws are not used as barriers to trade.

“There are no new enforcement mechanisms to ensure that countries uphold their own environmental standards, and the mechanisms to enhance environmental performance are only voluntary.

“Although the text mentions emissions and the ozone layer, it does not confront the challenge of climate change, even though the international community recognises that it is the most pressing global problem we face."

The TPP still needs to be ratified by the 12 countries that have agreed on the deal: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

ENDS

The challenge is a judicial review of last month's approval of the controversial Carmichael megamine in Queensland by Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

“The Carmichael coal mine would be an absolute disaster for the Great Barrier Reef, our climate and the local environment if it proceeds,” said Shani Tager, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Reef Campaigner.

“They want a 28,000-hectare coal mine which will be responsible for 120 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and require millions of tonnes of seafloor in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to be dredged.

“If Minister Hunt and the Turnbull Government were serious about protecting the environment, they would have rejected this mine the first and the second time it came across their desks.

“It’s clear that they cannot be relied on to make decisions in the best interests of the community and the environment, so this legal challenge by the Australian Conservation Foundation is crucial,” said Ms Tager.

Queensland treasury officials have called the mine “unbankable” and 14 international banks have said they won’t fund the project, which still needs $16 billion to proceed.

“This extreme coral bleaching event is devastating news for all of us, and should be setting off alarm bells in the Turnbull government because the health of the Great Barrier Reef is already of major international concern.

“Besides agricultural run-off, the Reef is under threat from proposed dredging to expand the coal terminal at Abbot Point, and to build the massive Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. These are environmental disasters in waiting that will only serve to push the Reef over the cliff.

“With a range of practical solutions in sight to protect the Reef like stopping the ailing Carmichael mine project, it would be madness for the government to insist on further coal-related activity near this World Heritage-listed site.

“It is clear that strong and immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change will help preserve the health of the Reef.

“The Turnbull government has an opportunity to change the course of this environmental disaster by permanently withdrawing its approval for the Carmichael mine as a starting point.

“Coal mining is an industry that no longer makes any economic sense, and we can chart its death daily with the closure of coal mines and sliding coal prices. We urge Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to follow through on his support for renewable energy and preserve our environmental heritage,” said Ms Gibson.

ENDS

Key findings from an analysis of coal consumption in 2015 compared to 2014 shows: 

- Global coal consumption fell 2.3 - 4.6% in the first nine months of 2015, making it the biggest fall in history.

- The fall is led by the US and China. In the US, coal plant closures achieved by successful local and national movements are driving consumption down, with renewable energy and lower demand covering most of the gap. In China, the war on pollution, and renewable energy and economic transformation are leading to a precipitous decline. 

- China: There was a huge boom, now there is a huge fall.

- The European Union does not seem to be rebounding from the record fall last year, with UK registering a huge reduction of more than 10%.

- Lower coal import prices are failing to stimulate demand in other markets.

- Global coal consumption has to fall 4% every year from now to 2040 to keep warming below 2 degrees.

Coal and Energy campaigner Lauri Myllyvirtan from Greenpeace International said:

“These trends show that the so-called global coal boom in the first decade of the 21st century was a mirage.

“There was a Chinese coal boom, but that disguised what was happening in the rest of the world.

“Coal is in terminal decline, and those countries investing in coal for export markets are making reckless decisions. They will be scarring the landscape and damaging the climate with little prospect of a return on their investment.”

While the pre-COP in Paris is taking place, and ahead of the Climate Summit at the end of November, Greenpeace is calling for:

- The complete phase out of coal, oil and gas;

- The talks to establish a long-term goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2050;

- The establishment of a robust, five-yearly mechanism to bring national emissions down step-by-step without a backlash.

ENDS

“We are profoundly shocked and saddened by news of their deaths. Richard and Carolyn made an immense contribution to the environmental movement in Australia, and were great friends and supporters,” said David Ritter, Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“We’re thinking of their families and sending them our most sincere condolences. It is tragic to have such kind and generous people taken away so suddenly.

“The couple and their friend John were killed as they were returning from a protest meeting against coal mining on the Liverpool Plains, which speaks to their lifelong devotion to protecting local communities and Australia’s natural beauty.

“Carolyn and Richard were lovely people whom I was fortunate enough to know personally.  We will always remember them for their friendship and passion and their extraordinary contribution to public life,” said Mr. Ritter.

ENDS

The surfboard petition calls on Premier Baird to rule out the use of lethal shark deterrents like so-called ‘smart drumlines’ in the state government’s shark management policy. The drumlines catch sharks with a hook suspended from a large plastic float anchored to the seabed; authorities are electronically alerted when an animal has been caught.

The NSW government has heeded calls to stop the expansion of shark nets in New South Wales as part of its $16m sharksafety policy, but has left open the option of employing the drumlines.

“We congratulate the government for not expanding shark nets on the NSW north coast, but we’re concerned that the government is still considering smart drumlines,” said Polly Kornie, Sharks Project Manager at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“In other Australian states, drumlines have caught more marine turtles than white sharks, and it’s likely that these drumlines could also end up killing other marine species such as dolphins and rays.

“We know Premier Baird enjoys surfing, so we hope that by hand-delivering him this surfboard with the names of tens of thousands of fellow ocean lovers, he will rule out the use of these potentially lethal devices.

“Premier Baird has said he wants NSW to focus on innovation and new technology. Our community supports that - which is exactly why we want him to rule out the use of drumlines as a part of his NSW shark management policy,” said Ms Kornie.

“We’re here to tell the coal industry that Australian taxpayers have had enough of funding their dirty unsustainable projects. Coal bosses are drinking champagne and congratulating themselves tonight after another year of earning vast salaries, but it’s the Australian people who have to pay the price,” said Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Nikola Casule.

As a who’s who of Australian mining gathered at the Sofitel in Sydney for the Prospect Mining Awards, Greenpeace activists staged a game show event in the venue, offering handfuls of mock hundred dollar bills to coal mining executives.

“Federal and state governments give the fossil fuel industry billions of dollars of hard-earned taxpayer money in subsidies and tax breaks every year. The money wasted on production subsidies for the coal mining industry each year could alone pay for an extra 30,000 nurses or 60 new primary schools or 12,000 GPs," said Mr Casule.

The Australian Government provides $1.8 billion in production subsidies to the coal mining industry every year.[1] According to the IMF, Australia provides fossil fuel subsidies equivalent to $1,712 per person per year, or around $40 billion a year. These subsidies contribute to the air pollution, global warming, health impacts and traffic congestion that are caused by dirty fossil fuels, as well as $5.5 billion as direct fossil fuel subsidy or foregone tax revenue. [2]

“The coal bosses say they are bringing prosperity, but in fact they are taking money from all Australian taxpayers, so they can keep the dying and dirty fossil fuels industries alive,” Dr Casule said. “We want our taxes to pay for schools, hospitals and public services, not environmental destruction.” 

[1] http://www.carbontracker.org/report/coal-subsidies/

[2] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2015/new070215a.htm

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia’s biggest bank and one of the largest listed companies on the ASX, affirmed its support for taking action to keep global warming below 2 degrees and unveiled new carbon disclosure reporting requirements.

“Commonwealth Bank’s recognition of the damage that fossil fuels are doing to the environment and of the need to take strong action against global warming is timely,” said Nikola Casule, Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate and energy campaigner.

“However, it is concerning that the bank’s carbon disclosure calculations do not include indirect emissions from the products of companies it invests in (‘Scope 3 emissions’). This means that the Commonwealth Bank has left the door open to investing in Australian coal mines without taking into account the emissions that coal creates when it’s exported and burnt overseas.

“The science is clear: to meet a two degree target, 90% of Australia’s known coal reserves have to stay in the ground. This includes all of the coal in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. The credibility of the Commonwealth Bank’s position hinges on whether it moves to end its involvement in financing destructive fossil fuel projects in Australia and overseas,” concluded Dr Casule.

The CBA announced on 5 August 2015, that it would not be involved in providing finance for Adani’s unviable Carmichael coal mine in Queensland, which threatens the Great Barrier Reef.

If built, Carmichael would be Australia’s largest coal mine and one of the biggest in the world. On the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, its port expansion would require massive seafloor dredging, resulting in hundreds more coal ships through Reef waters. At 28,000 hectares, it would also produce 121 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions yearly at maximum production, driving climate change - the greatest threat to the Reef.

“We are not opposed to freeing up international trade, but we are concerned that without proper transparency, the TPP may lead to worse social and environmental outcomes.

“We are calling on the government to make public the text of the agreement, so we can properly assess its impact on Australia.

“From what little detail has been leaked, we are concerned over a provision allowing multinational corporations to challenge domestic regulations and court rulings before special tribunals.

“This could mean, for example, that if an Australian court decided that a mining project was environmentally hazardous and therefore should not be approved, a multinational backer could seek to overturn that decision in a special tribunal.

“The inclusion of so-called investor state dispute settlement clauses gives special legal rights to foreign investors, which could see our government being sued for, say, stopping the pollution of our rivers if these companies think it would undermine their profits.

“Transparency on this deal is long overdue, and until we can see this text, speculation about the benefits of the deal, and its possible problems, will continue.”

ENDS

Television presenter and former chef and food critic Matthew Evans, delivered the petition to Senators Nick Xenophon and Peter Whish-Wilson this morning, calling for more information about what type of fish they are eating and where it was caught or farmed.

“There are many concerns associated with fish and seafood catch, including whether it was sustainably caught, or if it came from a country that has a record of labour abuses,” said Nathaniel Pelle, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“Matthew Evans, a food industry veteran, knows exactly what consumers, restaurants and local fisheries want. His petition shows Australians don’t like being kept in the dark about what fish they’re eating and where it comes from.

“In August, the Coalition government voted down a bill by Senator Nick Xenophon on better seafood labelling that had cross-bench support, knowing that Australian consumers want more information about what they eat.

“The food industry lobby, led by the Restaurant and Caterer’s Association, has pressured the government against adopting a better labelling regime, and their efforts are holding Australia back from global best practice for seafood labelling,” said Mr. Pelle.

This petition follows a Label My Fish Alliance campaign demanding new Australian labelling laws like those in the EU, requiring labelling of what fish we're eating, its origin and how it was caught or farmed. Members back clearer labelling in fish shops, takeaways and restaurants to protect the environment, boost the Australian fishing industry and protect public health.

Earlier this a year a joint statement signed by 16 environment organisations and Australian seafood industry bodies called for use of the Australian Fish Names Standard to be mandated and country of origin labelling to be extended into food service.

Prominent individuals backing the campaign include actor Richard Roxburgh, Quay Chef Peter Gilmore, MoVida chef and owner Frank Camorra, the NY Times best-selling author of ‘I Quit Sugar’, Sarah Wilson, and numerous Australian fishing industry members.


ENDS

The 2015 Green Electricity Guide by Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Total Environment Centre provides a state-by-state ranking of electricity retailers to help consumers switch to a more environmentally-friendly power supplier.

Top-ranked Powershop, based in Victoria, received 8.6 out of a possible score of 10 for supporting the renewable energy target, its public position against coal and CSG investment, its promotion of GreenPower and its good offers to solar customers.

Diamond Energy came a close second with a score of 8.5 out of 10. It was commended for generating electricity with no fossil fuel power plants, its low GreenPower surcharge and its public positions against coal and CSG investment. Both companies have also directly invested in renewable energy generation in Australia.

Victoria-based supplier People Energy was named Australia’s least green electricity supplier with a rating of just 1.9. It was ranked bottom of the 23-organisation league table for providing only basic energy efficiency information to customers, failing to offer GreenPower, not having standing offers for customers with solar energy, failing to report sustainability information and for failing to identify its positions on key green energy topics.

Simply Energy came second last with a score of 2.9 after lobbying for reductions in the renewable energy target, its poor promotion of GreenPower and its limited sustainability reporting.

Among the “Dirty Three” electricity suppliers Origin Energy, EnergyAustralia and AGL –  who between them supply electricity to more than three-quarters of Australian households – Origin Energy (5.7) came eighth overall, AGL (5.1) came ninth and EnergyAustralia (4.9) ranked 10th.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate campaigner Nikola Čašule said:

“Australians support renewable energy, but finding out how green your energy provider really is can be difficult. By giving consumers the information they want, they can change to a greener supplier and hopefully motivate the industry to become cleaner and greener.

“Some companies have made good progress this year, but Origin Energy, Energy Australia and AGL’s continued average performance should still be a concern for Australians.

“For all the big three’s marketing about how green they are, their initiatives are small compared to their investments in coal and gas and they still leave a lot of room for improvement.”

Mark Byrne, energy market advocate at the Total Environment Centre said:

"Retailers can choose where they put their money, and likewise consumers can vote with their wallets by choosing retailers that are doing the right thing by investing in renewables, supporting solar customers and promoting GreenPower.

"Together, we can change the way energy is made and sold in Australia without the expense of going off-grid."

The electricity sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and 87% of Australian electricity still comes from coal and gas fired power stations. The remaining 13% of electricity comes from renewables.

The 2015 rankings were decided by seven criteria: emissions, renewable energy positions and investments, GreenPower products and promotion, support for distributed generation (ie solar), fossil fuels policy and investments, energy efficiency performance and promotion and environmental transparency.

The Green Energy Guide 2015 can be found here:

Reacting to the government’s shortlist of six proposed permanent nuclear sites spread in New South Wales, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, the Head of Campaigns for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Dominique Rowe, said:

“This is an outrageous project that should never have gotten off the ground in the first place. Creating a permanent dump will only invite the generation of more nuclear waste that many generations of people will have to deal with.

“It is entirely disingenuous for the government to argue that this dump is for the people of Australia when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last month mooted the idea that our country could store nuclear waste from other countries.

“This project is a clear invitation to other countries to use Australia as a nuclear dumping ground. Australians will never allow it because they have learned the tragic lessons from nuclear accidents in other nations - which the government clearly hasn’t.

“The government is saying the dump will only store low and intermediate level nuclear waste, but let’s be clear about what this is: Intermediate level waste includes melted-down fuel rods from reactors, which will remain dangerous for thousands of years.

 “No one can guarantee safe storage for what will literally be millenia. No country has yet discovered a way to safely store nuclear waste for the long periods required.

“While Greenpeace agrees that Australia should take responsibility for storing and managing its own nuclear waste, creating a dump that invites more radioactive waste is not the solution.”

“This extreme coral bleaching event is devastating news for all of us, and should be setting off alarm bells in the Turnbull government because the health of the Great Barrier Reef is already of major international concern.

“Besides agricultural run-off, the Reef is under threat from proposed dredging to expand the coal terminal at Abbot Point, and to build the massive Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. These are environmental disasters in waiting that will only serve to push the Reef over the cliff.

“With a range of practical solutions in sight to protect the Reef like stopping the ailing Carmichael mine project, it would be madness for the government to insist on further coal-related activity near this World Heritage-listed site.

“It is clear that strong and immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change will help preserve the health of the Reef.

“The Turnbull government has an opportunity to change the course of this environmental disaster by permanently withdrawing its approval for the Carmichael mine as a starting point.

“Coal mining is an industry that no longer makes any economic sense, and we can chart its death daily with the closure of coal mines and sliding coal prices. We urge Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to follow through on his support for renewable energy and preserve our environmental heritage,” said Ms Gibson.

ENDS