Today Premier Newman announced that his government will offer discounted royalty rates for mining companies that move ahead with their planned multibillion-dollar coal projects in the Galilee Basin, exposing the reality that these mines were only viable with large amounts of tax-payer funded support.
“Queenslanders are now going to pay three times for these mines,” said Greenpeace Climate campaigner, Louise Matthiesson. “They will support them through their taxes, they will be forced to deal with the extreme weather that comes as result of the mines carbon emissions, and those families living on the Great Barrier Reef will also pay when the Reef is so degraded it loses its World Heritage status.”
“Mums and dads across this state work incredibly hard for their living,” continued Matthiesson. “It is scandal that the Premier now asks those families to support his billionaire friends in India and Australia.
The announcement comes just three days after the launch of a report called; Too many ports in a storm that showed Queensland ports were already underutilized and risked becoming stranded assets as the coal price stayed low and demand remained over-supplied.
“The Premier and the coal industry have constantly argued mining the Galilee Basin had to happen in order to provide jobs and keep the Queensland economy strong,” said Matthiesson. “Now it turns out that rather than making the economy strong, these mines will become operational only if tax payers subsidies them.”
“Premier Newman must stop squandering the taxes paid by Queenslanders. He must accept that not only will these mines destroy the Reef and the climate, they are also economic white elephants,” concluded Matthiesson.
For further comment:
- Louise Matthiesson, climate campaigner: 0406 041 428
- Julie Macken, media officer: 0400 925 217