Gold Coast Greens

Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland Larissa Waters will address farmers rallying outside state Parliament from 12-­‐1pm today against coal extraction on good quality farm land. “We have alternatives to coal, but there is no alternative to food. You can't eat coal,” said Ms Waters, an environmental lawyer. “Why is the state government gambling with the 3% good quality agricultural land that Queensland has when there are mining tenements over 80% of Queensland? “Coal extraction including coal seam gas mining, open cut mines and under ground coal gasification should not proceed at the expense of food production, water security, endangered species or the climate. “If the state government is too hooked on coal royalties and donations to protect our food producing land from coal extraction in all its guises, the Greens in the Senate will move to amend our federal environment laws to protect human health and the ground and surface water of the Darling Downs. “As the first Greens Senator for Queensland I will move to add triggers for climate, coal seam gas and underground coal gasification to the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act, so that the cumulative impacts of these new industries are properly considered and farmland and the climate can be protected. “Farmers are right to be concerned about the impacts of coal seam gas mining and underground coal gasification on farmland and groundwater. Coal seam gas wells use 1 hectare of land each at minimum and 40,000 of them are planned for the Darling Downs by 2030. “No proper studies have been done on the risks to the Great Artesian Basin from groundwater contamination or depletion, and pollution incidents at each of the three underground coal gasification plants on the Downs have destroyed all confidence in the safety of the process. “This traditional food-producing region is being put at risk in the rush for mining profits. “The Greens have called for a moratorium on new coal seam gas and underground coal gasification projects until adequate environmental protections for our climate, groundwater and farmland are in place. “The state government has given these new industries the tick without knowing the impacts they could have on groundwater, farmland and people's livelihoods and health. “As the first Greens Senator for Queensland I will move amendments to strengthen our federal environmental laws to protect our food-producing land and the future of our rural communities. “Renewable energy is the way to safely and cleanly power this state into the future, protect our food security and our Reef, and keep our rural communities alive,” concluded Ms. Waters. The Our Water, Our Land, Our Future rally will run from12 to 1pm on Wednesday 4 August outside state parliament, jointly organized by conservation and farming groups including Friends of Felton and Save our Darling Downs. Ms. Waters will address the crowd between 12:30‐12:45pm. For comment: Candidate: Larissa Waters larissa.waters@qld.greens.org.au Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland