Open letter to Barnaby Joyce on Adani Mine
Mr Joyce, just over a week ago, in an interview on National television regarding the Adani Mine, you said; “once we get this rail line built; it’s a $900,000,000 investment, then other companies can come on to that piece of infrastructure and also be part of opening up a new coal precinct, Galilee Basin. This is how we turn a dollar, this is how we get an economy moving ahead”.
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Mr. Joyce; whatever happened to the precautionary principle, where we err on the side of caution instead of charging full-steam ahead and leaving the mess for future generations to clean up. Will promoting the interests of Adani add up to a net gain in the economy, or jobs?
Because of our warming climate; all over the world, each year that goes by, we are experiencing record breaking temperatures and extreme weather events that destroy lives, and cause people to lose their homes, livelihoods and investments. Now you are going all-out, wanting to add insult to injury by pushing for the go-ahead of the Adani mine, the coal from which will increase carbon pollution and help to speed up global warming! Where is your humanity? Climate change is already with us and the harm is being felt globally. Why make things worse? The voters of New England have put you in a position of trust to do the right thing, and expect you and all politicians to act like statesmen, encouraging leaders of other nations to work with them to limit the use of fossil fuels and ultimately reverse global warming. This will be a long and arduous road, not a job for the weak and self-serving, or those who want to ingratiate themselves in the eyes of multi-national mining companies.
You don’t just want to give the Adani Mine the go-ahead, you want to loan nearly one billion dollars of taxpayer funds to help pay for a rail line. Mr. Joyce, you call it an ‘investment’ and want us to believe; ‘this is how we turn a dollar, this is how we get an economy moving’. Well, what about the lives, jobs and the investments already destroyed, and especially those that will be destroyed in the future because of the increase in global warming from the carbon pollution produced from the coal from the Adani mine, if it is let go-ahead? Is part of the deal with Adani for it to compensate those people?
Mr. Joyce, these are real people, real jobs, real investments that already exist that you are not accounting for. Stop and think for a few moments about all the jobs and investment that already exists on the Queensland coast, not to mention the tourist dollar from the Great Barrier Reef. Then there is the traditional National Party constituency, what about the increasing devastation to rural communities caused by extreme weather events, and farms that are becoming less viable because of our changing climate.
You want the government to invest $900,000,000 of taxpayer money for a rail line, not only for the benefit of Adani, but so ‘other companies can come onto that piece of infrastructure and also be a part of opening up a new coal precinct’ in the Galilee Basin. Surely they will add further to the problem of climate change; sound like you want to put us all on a fast train to a very hot place!
The ‘other companies’ who hold mining leases in the Galilee Basin are; Hancock Prospecting who has a joint venture with GVK, an Indian company, Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal, and MacMines Australia. Barnaby, it is hard to understand your reasoning; these aren’t companies needing a leg-up. Is there something we, the voters, aren’t being told?
Mr. Joyce, we need politicians who understand the precautionary principle. In a nutshell; what we need is a government that genuinely tries to redress the situation of carbon pollution, and, at the same time, created jobs; that will be meaningful investment.
Noretta Terry,
Tamworth
Gunnedah Showgrounds
Congratulations to President, Secretary and Committee of the Gunnedah Show well done plenty to see and do. Thank you to the NVI for your coverage of the show and the pictures featured.
Brick bats to the Council who are responsible for the Showground area. Sometime ago the council employee responsible for the grounds worked many hours of unpaid overtime because he took pride in his work. The grounds were improving year by year until this valuable employee was moved. This year the grounds were an utter disgrace with khaki weed in abundance, it was impossible to walk anywhere in the grounds without accumulating khaki weed on one’s shoes. The weed was then spread further around the grounds and further afield with entry into cars. This weed is a blight on our environment and for Council property to be cultivating the weed is a disgrace, it will now take years and years to eradicate the problem at considerable expense.
Sandra Thomson, Gunnedah
Crown Land
The NSW Liberals and Nationals are transferring as much Crown Land to local councils as fast as they can.
Last year they pushed through new laws so they can transfer showgrounds, community halls, playgrounds and sporting clubs out of government ownership.
But the NSW Liberals and Nationals rejected pleas to require this land to remain as community land.
The Agricultural Societies Council of NSW for instance has said this will ‘open the doors for showgrounds to be potentially sold off and slated for other development.’
Councils have little say in what land is being transferred to them. It’s just more unfunded cost shifting onto local councils and their ratepayers.
Mick Veitch MLC, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries & Peter Primrose MLC, Shadow Minister for Local Government