No Handouts for Adani
BY CHARLOTTE GRIEVE
While many Sydneysiders were last minute Christmas shopping on 20 December, around 150 people gathered outside NSW Parliament House for a “snap rally” protesting the federal government’s support of the Adani Carmichael Mining Project.
The protest came in response to plans that would see the Turnbull Government spending $1bn on a 388 kilometre railway line to serve the multi-billion mining project.
The Carmichael coal, railway and port project includes building Australia’s largest thermal coal mine in Queensland’s north Galilee Basin and has attracted strong resistance both domestically and across the globe.
Josh Meadows from the Australian Conservation Foundation expressed his concerned about the project to City Hub.
“It’s an issue that the Australian and international community feels quite outraged about,” he said.
At the protest a representative from GetUp told the crowd that a collective petition to stop the coal mine had attracted over 900,000 signatures globally.
Many believe that investing in the coal mine will cause irreparable damage to the Great Barrier Reef, a natural site that has already experienced extensive bleaching this year as a result of climate change.
Federal funding of the mine is also believed to undermine Australia’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. It would not only encourage the burning of fossil fuel but also neglect the renewable energy industry.
“The government talks a lot about the importance of innovation. We’ve got a renewable energy industry that is raring to go,” said Mr Meadows.
Speaking at the rally, Alex Georgiou, founder of Shine Hub, talked to the changing nature of battery life for solar power.
“The narrative has been that while batteries can revolutionise power, they’ve been too expensive. But with falling prices and new business models that’s all about to change in just a few short months,
“For the first time in history, I’ve been waiting for about a decade for this to happen, we can officially say, that for many Australians producing their own solar and battery power right from their own rooves is going to be more cost effective than staying with main’s power,” he said.
While coal enthusiasts have championed the project for its creation of jobs, the Land Court of QLD found earlier this year that the project would create less than 15 per cent of the projected employment opportunities.
In addition, large banks such as ANZ and NAB, have recently turned their backs on supporting the project for environmental reasons.
“If Australian banks won’t fund it, it raises serious questions about why taxpayers are being put on the hook with this,” Mr Meadows said.
The Australian Conservation Foundation has challenged the Commonwealth Environment Minister’s approval of the project, which will be heard out in court next year.
