Governments prove they can’t be trusted with environment

Sydney, 20 August, 2015: For immediate release The Federal and Queensland governments’ decision to push ahead with dredging the sea floor in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for a coal port expansion at Abbot Point illustrates why they can’t be trusted with the environment or environment laws.

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 released today. The port expansion is for the ‘unbankable’ Carmichael mega mine, which lost both its federal government approval and bank advisors this month.

“Opening the EIS period now illustrates the bloody-mindedness of the Queensland and Federal governments to push ahead with the development of the Galilee coal basin at all costs,” said Greenpeace Reef Campaigner Shani Tager.

“This is an example of the government bullishly and willfully ignoring community opposition. Our environmental laws are designed to guard against such behaviour by the state. That's why Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Attorney General George Brandis are trying to gut the legislation.”

“This dredging would risk our fragile Reef for a dying coal industry.”

Queensland Treasury officials have called Carmichael ‘unbankable’, it has no financial backers after Standard Chartered and the Commonwealth Bank abandoned it and it is behind schedule. It would produce 121 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year at full production, fueling the biggest threat to the Reef - climate change.

“Pushing forward with this proposal is entirely reckless. The Abbott Government are wanting to advance projects that threaten the Reef at the same time as trying to gut our environmental laws. We can’t afford to let the Reef be at the mercy of the Abbott Government’s attacks on the environment,” said Ms Tager.