Last Friday, the Environment Minister Tony Burke effectively told UNESCO, ‘don’t worry, be happy’, in response to grave concerns about the future of the Great Barrier Reef.
Here’s a question for you: how much of a masterpiece can you remove, before it loses its value and beauty for which it is recognised? That’s the question the Australian government is wrestling with as the coal industry makes greater and greater inroads into the masterpiece that is the Great Barrier Reef.
Few countries can boast a national animal with the status as India. The tiger, as a symbol of India, is as recognisable as the Taj Mahal and as loved as Mahatma Gandhi.
Last November, twelve Greenpeace activists were arrested after taking action at the site of the proposed HRL power station at Morwell in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The action was part of a long-running campaign to have a $100 million grant to the proposed HRL brown coal power station cancelled.
When Minister Burke described the environmental assessment of Gina Rinehart’s controversial Alpha Coal Project as “shambolic”, he wasn’t joking. But now he has given his own rubber stamp to the project, revealing the profound failure of the regulatory system in Australia.
Big mining projects need community approval as well as government licences. It's a sign of a healthy democracy when politicians respect a community's social licence, writes Julie Macken
The mining industry may run slick advertising campaigns but when activists get together the real stories come out. Julie Macken spoke with June Norman, a 72 year-old woman with a unique method.
This week saw a small step taken towards the energy revolution in Australia as Munmorah, one of the oldest and dirtiest coal power stations in the country, announced its closure.
Last week Greenpeace launched a vital new campaign for Australia. We’re taking on the massive coal mining and coal export expansion plans particularly in Queensland. These mega coal mines, coal port infrastructure and increases in coal shipping traffic not only spell disaster for our climate but for Australia’s national treasure – the Great Barrier Reef.