Hundreds rally, march against coalmine at Jondaryan

Jim McIlroy
February 20, 2012
Issue 
912
News
Protesters marched to the gates of the New Hope Coal mine. Photo: Jim McIlroy

Several hundred people rallied and marched at Jondaryan, west of Toowoomba, on February 20 to protest against moves by New Hope Coal to expand its coalmine at nearby Acland.

Speakers at the rally were from an unusual range of backgrounds, including radio shock jock Alan Jones, maverick federal MP Bob Katter, Greens Senator Larissa Waters and local farmers. Lock the Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton chaired the rally.

Residents, including local landowner Tanya Plant, say they are concerned that the noise and dust from the New Hope coalmine is affecting the health of their children. She told the January 28 Australian: "It has been worrying to have one of our children coughing a lot for months. We are concerned about those really small particles, as well as things like heavy metals."

Waters said: 鈥淲e are behind the community on both the coal and coal seam gas issues. There should be no coalmines on farmland, and no new coalmines at all. We will win this together."

The demonstrators then marched a kilometre to the gates of the New Hope coalmine. They chanted, 鈥渙ur land, our water, our future鈥 and 鈥渄on鈥檛 wait, lock the gate鈥.


Coal
Climate crisis
Environment
Australia

Comments

Anonymous replied on

Curious how Larrissa Waters wants to "win this together" while she flys back and forward accross the whole country leaving behind the carbon footprint of a country town all by herself. She's not even in the battle she's just standing out front of the hard workers in the community taking the Kusos for their actions when the reality is that the demand for energy she creates is the very reason behind the need for a new coal mine. The level of hypocracy is astounding and I don't think anyone is falling for it, especially not the locals who are thankful for any help and publicity they can get , so don't refuse anyone the sunlight but know in their hearts who the fraudsters are. It's Time the Greens acted the way they their policies would eventually have us all living. set an example. Living the high life burning fuel like there is no tomorrow as Waters is doing right now is so wrong and makes me ashamed to have given her my vote.

simongb@hotmail.com replied on

I'm as astounded as you are, given that planes do not run on coal. So if Larissa Water's plane trips are creating the demand for this coal mine that is very devious indeed.

Anonymous replied on

Some of these thoughts cross my mind too when I drive to a protest, burning fuel. The times are too fast (still) to do it all on a horse, I guess. Ron.

Anonymous replied on

The call to reduce the use of coals is valid for western countries but unfortunately, coal statistics show developing economies are more likely to increase their use of coal in coming years because of its affordability and to meet increasing demands for electricity and steel for the coal industry.

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