Members of Lock the Gate and the Mackay Conservation Group travelled to central Queensland to get footage of several of the mines in the area in order to evaluate how much rehabilitation has been undertaken at several sites. 

Check out the video at the link below to learn more about the campaign. If you want join and keep up to date with the progress of the campaign by filling in the form at the link below.

http://www.mackayconservationgroup.org.au/mine_rehab

“We make it great in the Sunshine State!” went the old Queensland Government slogan in the 1970s and we are certainly doing a great job of using our sunshine in Mackay.

The worldwide demand for solar power has been growing exponentially in the past few years as the efficiency of panels has increased and production costs have fallen.

Here in Mackay more property owners are realising the benefits of solar power than anywhere else in Queensland.

In 2015 more rooftop solar was installed on properties in the 4740 postcode than in any other place in Australia, except Coondalup in Western Australia.

There was a decline in installations in Mackay compared with 2014 when we were by far the most solar savvy people in Australia, adding 5.9 megawatts of solar panels to our city’s roofs.

It’s no surprise that mining creates a few environmental problems. One of the big ones is the costly exercise of restoring land after mining operations cease.

Across Queensland there are over 15,000 abandoned mines where work has stopped and no person or company can be legally required to restore the site. When that happens, the Queensland government must take action to make the site safe, both to the public and the environment.

At Mount Morgan, acid water leaches from the former gold mine into the Dee River, making the stream unfit for swimming, fishing and drinking for many kilometres. The government is trying to stabilise the Mount Morgan mine but it’s costing a fortune and no end date is in sight.

Mackay Conservation Group welcomes ACF Legal Action

Mackay Conservation Group has welcomed the announcement today that the Australian Conservation Foundation will challenge the approval of the Adani Carmichael mine.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has several grounds on which it is appealing the Federal Government's approval of the mine.

Only two months ago we won a Federal court challenge to the controversial Carmichael coal mine but Minister Hunt’s reapproval risks threatened species, precious groundwater, the global climate and taxpayers’ money.

Minister Hunt has again failed the people of Australia by failing to address new evidence on the devastating impacts of what would be Australia’s largest coal mine.

Hunt’s new conditions do not adequately deal with the seriousness of the implications of this mine. Simply put, these impacts are very serious, and can’t be offset. The mine should have been refused.

ADANI CARMICHAEL COURT DEFEAT NO MERE TECHNICALITY

Court cases reveal deep flaws in modelling, devastating impacts

Indian coal giant Adani, the mining industry and the Federal Environment Minister are wrong to characterise today’s Federal court decision as a ‘technical glitch’, when it is symptomatic of deep flaws with the Carmichael proposal that have only been revealed through proper court scrutiny, said Ms Ellen Roberts, Coordinator of Mackay Conservation Group.

“Court action has shown the proposed Carmichael mine to be a train wreck on multiple fronts. The mine’s impact on vulnerable species shows up just one of many problems that the assessment process failed to properly address and that Adani has done its best to conceal,” Ms Roberts said.

25 May 2021

Mackay Conservation Group has welcomed news today that the Federal Court has agreed that the Morrison Government made an error of law when it decided not to apply the ‘water trigger’ to the assessment of Adani’s North Galilee Water Scheme (NGWS).

Under Federal regulations, coal projects that extract a significant amount of water are required to submit a rigorous environmental impact statement. This water trigger was not originally applied to Adani’s Water Scheme.  

Sunny Hungerford, Campaign Manager at Mackay Conservation Group says:

“Today’s decision is a victory for Queensland’s water and the people and ecosystems that depend on it. In the Government’s rush to approve Adani’s plan to pipe 12.5 Billion litres from the Suttor River each year, they failed to apply proper scrutiny, and failed to properly consider the negative impacts that such a risky water plan could have on surrounding ecosystems, sacred sites, farmers and even towns. 

While Queensland’s farmers have battled one of the worst droughts in decades Adani should not be allowed to drain 12.5 billion litres of river water each year just to wash coal and suppress dust at their coal mine. 

Adani’s coal project is having devastating impacts on Queensland’s water from sucking up precious groundwater that feed ancient springs and wetlands, failing to manage erosion and polluting waterways with sediment. Today’s court decision proves that additional scrutiny and assessment of Adani’s impacts on water is needed. 

Media Release

19 May 2021

An expert report, ordered by the Queensland Coordinator General to investigate Adani’s flood mitigation and sediment control measures on its rail line has concluded that Adani is not following best practice erosion and sediment control guidelines. 

The expert report by consultants from Water and Technology found that: 

• Adani failed to follow its own erosion and sediment control guidelines by conducting works in waterways during the wet season 
• Adani failed to prepare sites for flooding leading to unnecessary sediment pollution 
• Approval conditions for future projects of a similar nature be strengthened to “prohibit works in waterways during the wet season”

Lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia, acting for Mackay Conservation Group have written to the office of the Queensland Coordinator General calling on them to use existing powers to strengthen environmental conditions and monitoring at Adani’s coal mine and rail projects in light of the concerns the expert report has raised. 

Sunny Hungerford, campaign manager at Mackay Conservation Group says: 

“The Water and Technology report shows that Adani breached their own guidelines by conducting works in waterways during the wet season and failed to properly prepare sites for flooding which led to sediment pollution. It’s critically important that the Coordinator General's office strengthen the project conditions to specifically prohibit any construction works in waterways during the wet season.”

“The fact that Adani can get away with this shows just how weak and ineffective the environmental conditions the Queensland government has imposed on Adani are. In this case Adani was allowed to get away with failing to prepare for flood events and causing pollution of waterways. 

“Adani appears to have a full deck of get out of jail free cards, but Queenslanders expect better management of our precious water and natural assets. This is our backyard that Adani is polluting. Farmers and towns are working hard to protect our waterways from pollution, and companies like Adani should have to do the right thing as well.” 

“The Water Technology report makes numerous recommendations for the improvement of erosion and sediment control measures along the rail line project, but it is unclear how Adani’s compliance with implementing the recommendations may be enforced without strengthening the project’s approval conditions and setting out clearly what the consequences are if Adani do not follow them.’

“The Queensland and Federal Governments have repeatedly assured the public that Adani’s coal project has the strictest environmental conditions, but these conditions mean absolutely nothing if they fail to prevent serious environmental damage”