Toowoomba Chronicle report 6-3-09
LNP leader Lawrence Springborg yesterday tapped into his supporter heartland by promising to protect areas like the Felton Valley and Haystack Plain from mining.
Mr Springborg promised his party would put into place "planning processes" to protect the two areas from mining development.
"These are iconic areas," Mr Springborg said. "It’s stupid to be mining areas as irreplaceable as those."
He was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Picnic Point.
Prime Darling Downs agricultural land in the Felton Valley, south of Toowoomba, has been threatened by a proposed open cut coal mine and petrochemical plant by mining and exploration company, Ambre Energy.
Meanwhile, the Haystack Plain is under a Mineral Development Licence held by State-owned corporation, Tarong Energy.
LNP candidate for Condamine Ray Hopper said the policy announcement came after a lot of "lobbying and discussion" with the LNP leader.
"You’ve heard it from the boss today," Mr Hopper said.
"We will not allow mining at Felton or Haystack if we are elected on March 21."
Friends of Felton is an apolitical organisation. We are pleased that the LNP has promised to protect Felton, and call on the other parties in the Qld election to make the same commitment.
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1 comment:
I am glad to hear that the LNP has adopted this stance.
However, it needs to be pointed out that the LNP's stances on other environmental questions are not be as good, for example, their support for shale oil mining, rightly banned by the Bligh Government, even if only under pressure from a massive community protest.
Other examples are their overall support for massive environmentally destructive open cut coal mines elsewhere and Uranium mining.
Their apparent support for ever more population growth (in common with the Labor Party) will almost certainly result in more grave ecological harm.
As an independent standing in the Brisbane seat of Mount Coot-tha I am opposed to coal mining in the Felton Valley. See the section "Labor's coal exports - a crime against this and future generations of humanity" in my article "Why I am contesting the Queensland state elections as an independent".
I understand Merilyn Haines who is an indedepent standing against Anna Bligh in South Brisbane as well as all the Greens also oppose coal mining in the Felton Valley.
best regards,
James Sinnamon
Independent candidate for Mount Coot-tha
candobetter.org/node/1121/edit#coal
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