Adani has been found guilty by a Queensland court for the criminal offence of providing false and misleading information to the Queensland government about land clearing at its mine site in central Queensland. The charge carried a maximum penalty of 2.8 million dollars and up to two years in jail. Adani was only fined $20 000 but the offence reflects badly on their corporate credibility and their claim to be a fit and proper organisation, trusted to conduct major mining operations in Australia. 

The conviction of providing false or misleading information to government regulators is a serious offence and Adani's actions undermine the integrity of the system that is supposed to protect communities, vegetation, groundwater, the reef and rivers from pollution and exploitation.

Adani has form on breaking our collective trust and misleading the community about capital work at its mine site, letting coal sludge flow into the Great Barrier Reef coastal waters and polluting the Caley Valley wetlands. Adani continues to mislead about the number of jobs their mine will create.

This conviction is yet another reason why we can't trust Adani with our precious icons like the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Artesian Basin.

 Background - ABC reporting link

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-06/adani-fined-after-pleading-guilty-court-qld/11932640

The Whitsunday Region with its beautiful rainforests and spectacular islands attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Most of them are welcome but there is one particular type of visitor that we wish had never arrived.

Back in July it became public knowledge that an infestation of Yellow Crazy Ants had been found around Shute Harbour. Investigations have revealed that they have established themselves in the Conway National Park and on land outside the park.

Yellow Crazy Ants have caused severe disruption to natural systems. On isolated Christmas Island several species of crab have evolved unique behaviours. The Christmas Island Red Crab spends most of its life on land, only returning to the marine environment to breed in a spectacular annual mass migration. The red crabs recycle nutrients such as leaf litter, a role that is essential to maintain the health of the island’s forests.

04 June 2019

Tackling air pollution is the theme for United Nations World Environment Day on June 5. Air pollution affects nine out of ten people worldwide and causes seven million premature deaths annually.

The major sources of air pollution are transport, energy generation and agriculture, especially methane from livestock. The burning of waste in open air and build up of organic waste in landfills also contributes to the issue.

Mackay Conservation Group campaigner, Emma Barrett, says that air pollution is a solvable issue.

“When we take actions to tackle air pollutants we see almost immediate improvements in air quality.

“Mackay is in a great position, we still have good air quality and we can start planning for our region to maintain it. That way we will avoid the serious health effects of air pollutants that are affecting other communities.

Yes, you read right - Mackay Regional Council is giving away free native plants! The first free giveaway is at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens this Saturday, June 1 from 9am - 2pm.

It's all part of a new program aimed at increasing the number of native plants in local gardens. Ratepayers can choose four native plants each year to take home and add to their backyards.

Native plants can provide habitat and food for local wildlife, need less water than exotic plants and survive easily in our warm, tropical climate.

Adani’s Carmichael mine in the Galilee Basin, central Queensland is a long way from receiving all of the approvals it needs before it will be ready to break ground.

One of the key hurdles Adani needs to overcome is to have their management plan for the tiny Black Throated Finch (BTF) approved by the Queensland government.

Unfortunately for Adani and the BTF a substantial amount of the finch’s remaining habitat resides within the 28 000 hectare footprint of the Carmichael Mine.

Media Release

7 November 2018

Photo: Zoe Bay on Hinchinbrook Island - Steven Nowakowski

Mackay Conservation Group has launched a campaign against a Queensland Government plan to allow private tourism development in three of the state’s iconic national parks.

Last month the Tourism Minister, Kate Jones, issued a statement calling for expressions of interest from private tourism operators to build accommodation and conduct private walking tours in Hinchinbrook, Whitsunday Islands and Great Sandy national parks. 

In a document on a government website, private developers are being offered 30 year exclusive leases on current national park land plus a 30 year option. The government will also fast track the assessment process. In the case of Whitsunday Islands national park the government is also offering private developers a $5 million subsidy to assist with accommodation construction.

Mackay Conservation Group has launched a petition, which has collected over 700 signatures, calling on the state government to scrap its plans.

The Queensland Government is pushing ahead to privatise parts of the state's most picturesque national parks by offering exclusive use to tourism developers for up to 60 years.

The first three parks affected will be Hinchinbrook Island, Whitsunday Island and the Great Sandy National Parks. The tourism minister says that other sites are being investigated for privatisation including the Gold Coast.

A document found on a government website reveals that the state is willing to give away publicly owned national park land to private operators. In the document the government says it is willing to provide private businesses with:

• State-owned national park land for private eco-accommodation development;
• exclusive ground leases for a term of up to 30 years plus one up to 30 year option to operate the private eco-accommodation;
• assistance during the approvals process;
• a coordinated “one government” approach to comply with other government requirements; and
• a contribution of up to $5 million for eco-accommodation built along the Whitsunday Island Trail.

It appears the government wishes to rush this process through the assessment process (which it calls the approvals process ... it seems the outcome is already decided) by bringing the projects under the control of the Coordinator General. 

Please sign the petition on our website to voice your concern about the privatisation of our most valuable assets. 

Widespread tree clearing and habitat loss has resulted in a serious decline in koala numbers in south-east Queensland.

Now that there have been changes to Queensland's tree-clearing laws, what will be the impacts to koala habitat in the Mackay region?

Adam Gilmour, the senior natural resource officer from DNRME will join us at our next meeting, where he will explain how the new laws work and how they will impact conservation efforts.

Also joining us will be Mark Thomas from the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) unit, who will give a presentation on the importance and benefits of Queensland Globe - an online tool that can be used to discover a trove of information and data!

Tuesday 17 July, 6:30 - 8:30pm

Mackay Environment Centre, 156 Wood St

RSVP HERE!

Crocodiles are an iconic species of Northern Australia. They were almost hunted to extinction during the mid twentieth century but in 1974 legislation protected all crocodiles from unlicensed killing. 

A bill has been introduced to the Queensland parliament by Katter Party MP, Shane Knuth, that would permit crocodile hunting, egg collection, removal and relocation to crocodile reserves. The Safer Waterways Bill is based on the false premise that there is a significant problem of crocodile attack in Queensland. The explanatory notes to the bill provide a thorough summary of the intentions of the proposed legislation.

The ABC recently undertook a fact check of Bob Katter's claim that a person is killed by a crocodile every three months in North Queensland. They found his claim to be false. Since 1985 there has been one fatal attack by a crocodile every three years. Meanwhile, in the 2007-2016 period there were on average 8.5 people killed in boating incidents in Queensland, a far more dangerous activity it seems. 

The Queensland parliament's Innovation, Tourism Development and Environment Committee is currently seeking submissions on the Safer Waterways Bill 2018. You can help maintain the current protections for crocodiles by making a submission before 4pm on 31 May 2018 asking the committee to*:

• reject the entire Safer Waterways Bill 2018
• call on the Queensland Government to commit to rigorous community consultation with all First Nations Peoples regarding Crocodile Management
• ensure there is increase employment and training of ‘Indigenous Ranger and Protected Area’ programs
• call on the Queensland Government to explore nature-based tourism ventures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, First Nations Peoples communities
• require further crocodile surveys to gain accurate scientific data on crocodile populations and crocodile egg health.
• require research investment into possible changes in crocodile egg mortality and survival rates to sexual maturity
• ensure there is no interference with crocodile populations through culling, removal or egg-harvesting be permitted unless conducted by authorised officers for essential public safety management, approved scientific research
• ensure there is well resourced "Be Croc-Wise" education campaign in Queensland

To be valid your submission must include your name and two of the three below:

• mailing address
• email address
• daytime phone number 

Address your submission to

The Mackay region is lucky enough to have over 30 bat species call the area home. In the urban areas, the most common bat you’ll see is the Black Flying-Fox (Pteropus alecto), which is a larger species and can be seen in sizable numbers flying in the sky at dusk. Bats are social creatures and form nursery colonies to rear their young.

All bat species are unique and play a crucial role in the ecology of the environment. The majority of bat species eat insects and are appropriately called insectivores. Other bats prefer to eat nectar, pollen, fruit and seeds. These bats are called frugivores. And then there are bats who are omnivores, which eat both insects and fruits.