ECOfaith CYBERcommunity: MAYDAY! - QUEENSLAND COAL FRENZY - JOHN BURNETT, C2C AND LOCK THE GATE URGE MINING SANITY

Background:

LIKE our C2C FACEBOOK PAGE

Where is Clermont? http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/03/04/3956187.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3559889.htm

Cattle Barons stew over rail lines
      3 coal projects: Clive Palmer's China First,
GVK/Hancock's Alpha Coal/Kevin's Corner,
Indian-owned Adani Mining Carmichael)

Galilee Basin (part of Great Artesian Basin) (Wikipedia)
Lock the Gate Alliance (farmers, environmentalists, ... )

QLD Government:
   Jeff Seeney, Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
   Jeff Seeney email: Callide@parliament.qld.gov.au
     Role of QLD Infrastructure Coordinator General's office
   State Development Area (SDA)

Land Court puts conditions on Gina Rinehart’s Galilee Basin coal project

Letter (edited) from John Burnett, owner of 'Frankfield' :

My name is John Burnett.

I’m a grazier from north of CLERMONT in Central Queensland.

I’m writing to ask for your help to stop a huge land-grab by the Queensland Government for coal rail lines to ABBOT POINT (on the Great Barrier Reef).

The QLD Government is planning to declare a State Development Area (SDA) across 2 million hectares of cattle, cropping and farming land in Central Queensland to pave the way for rail lines from the coal mines in the Galilee Basin.

These lines, if they’re ever built, will carry hundreds of millions of tonnes of coal through or past our properties every year. They will exacerbate flood conditions, and cause a massive loss in productivity for landholders across the region, myself included.

When we first heard about the rail proposals in 2008, the community created an informal network. Corridor to Coast (C2C) sought to explain to companies and the Government that their chosen route was inappropriate and would cause excessive flood damage. There is a far better alternate route.

We have continued to talk and negotiate but now our ability to negotiate is going to be severely handicapped by this State Development Area (SDA). You see, this SDA allows the Qld Co-ordinator General to compulsorily acquire land across our whole region. Our land can be taken from us by force - there is no requirement for any 'good faith negotiations'. Five lines are proposed, with the government saying the SDA will be reduced when a ‘first mover’ is identified, but we remain unconvinced.

So we're all stuck now with this dreadful uncertainty.

A similar thing happened in southern QLD more than 7 years ago where an SDA was declared for a coal rail line. Landholders have been stuck in limbo ever since - no rail line has ever been built, the SDA has not been removed, and land values have plummeted by an estimated 30% although few sales have happened.

People simply cannot plan for the future. Land values are lowered - making sale or expansion virtually impossible.

That's why we need your help to stop the Government declaring this State Development Area.

Last week Lock the Gate Alliance issued a detailed Report into the impacts of the SDA on our community, the floodplains and good food producing land. We could never meet the target of doubling food production in QLD by 2040 if we carve up 260,000 hectares of productive farming land for coal transport.

The Government has responded by excising farming land up near Bowen from the Development Area. Mr Seeney’s department has recognised the impact the SDA will have on Bowen farmers and the urban communities of Collinsville and Merinda and removed this restriction with the stroke of a pen. This proves that the SDA is unnecessary and should be scrapped entirely.

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