Time For Hunt To Stop The Clock On Abbot Point As Documents Reveal Qld Govt’s Secret Plan For Coal Tug Harbour On Reef

350.org

(BRISBANE) – 350.org Australia is outraged that the Queensland Government has hidden plans to build a taxpayer-funded tug boat harbour at Abbot Point for companies like mining giant Adani to ship coal through the Great Barrier Reef.
The revelations were brought to light via a Right to Information request submitted by the North Queensland Conservation Council (NQCC).
The documents confirm that both the QLD Department of State Development (DSD) and the Palaszczuk government are aware of the plans, yet failed to include the information in the Abbot Point coal port Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted to Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

Moira Williams, 350.org Australia’s community campaigner, issued the following statement in response:
“Just days after a global climate deal was reached in Paris, we discover that the Queensland Government has been making secret plans to help expand coal exports here in Australia. We deserve to know what deals are being made behind closed doors to benefit the fossil fuel industry and why the interests of polluters are being put ahead of the Australian people.
“These explosive revelations demonstrate the Queensland Government’s total disregard for due process and lack of concern for the Reef and the climate, both of which will be seriously damaged by the coal port expansion at Abbot Point.
“It’s incredibly concerning that Premier Palaszczuk has chosen to hide these damaging plans from both the Federal Government and Queenslanders. What’s worse is that they are using taxpayer money to fund it. It begs the question – what else are they hiding?”
“The clock must be stopped on the decision to approve Adani’s Abbot Point project. With the deadline that decides the fate of this project just days away, Minister Hunt should do what the Australian public has been demanding for years and reject this reckless proposal once and for all,” concluded Williams.
Polling conducted by Essential Research and commissioned by 350.org Australia has found that two thirds of Australians believe coal mining should be phased because it causes global warming and damages the Great Barrier Reef.