If it goes ahead, the Adani Carmichael mine in Queensland will be the largest coal mine in Australia. Burning the coal will add huge amounts of carbon pollution and toxins to the air. Despite severe drought in Queensland, made worse by climate change, the government has granted Adani a water licence allowing them to take billions of litres of groundwater for 60 years for free. The mine therefore places precious aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin at risk. Surveys have consistently shown that the vast majority of Australians do not want this mine to proceed.
Local resident Mark, who attended the event, stated: “I don’t believe the mine should go ahead because it not only poses a significant and imminent danger to our climate, but also to our precious natural environment, including the Great Barrier Reef and the local communities that depend on it.”
Another resident, Karin, said: “Even though the federal Labor Party has the power to review and stop this disastrous project if they were elected into government, they continue to sit on the fence. Bill Shorten even said last week that allowing Adani to proceed will not impact Australia’s greenhouse emissions, which is clearly a ridiculous statement and shows Labor is out of touch with the realities of climate change.”
In the face of this inaction, nationally more than 100 grassroots #StopAdani groups have formed to raise community awareness and demand politicians take action. Multiple demonstrations took place this past week including visits to the offices of Tanya Plibersek, Bill Shorten, Anna Palaszczuk and Anthony Albanese. Locally, a group of Sydney residents have conducted door-knocks and market-stall outreach and delivered more than 100 signed letters to Tanya Plibersek calling on Labor to start demonstrating real leadership on this crucial issue.
“We will continue to organise and ask the Labor party to prioritise tackling climate change over billionaire coal barons who want to get rich destroying our planet,” said Carrie, a local #StopAdani Redfern organiser. “Labor should commit to stopping Adani’s unwanted and dangerous project, and lead Australia towards a renewable energy-powered future.”
