You have to be kidding !

[Lucky_Phill]

Just watched the 4 corners program on ABC re;- Great Barrier Reef and in particular the port development in Gladstone and other parts.

There is a proposal to build a coal loading port in Bathurst Bay.

You have to be friggin kiddin me................

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=%2...MdCTiQfsrvGBAg


Bathurst Bay sits north of Cooktown and is a pristine world heritage marine environment.

It is bad enough that this Government are proposing to allow 6 NEW coal, LNG and CSG ports to be built in Queensland, but to even consider one for this area is madness.

This current Governments vision, along with OVERSEAS miners is so short term and clouded, it beggers belief that any true Queenslander would participate in a facility that WILL damage both marine and landbased environments ( and communities ) to an extent that no-one can envisage or even hope to calculate.

There is NO modeling for the effect this would have. There is no science available to drop into modeling.

There is however, stupidly evident commonsense knowledge that placing a coal loading facility and utilizing hundreds of large ships within the barrier reef and at a place of significant World, Australian & Queensland importance is not only a disaster waiting to happen, but plain VANDALISM.

This Government, both Federal and State have lost the plot.

They need to pop down to the local corner store and buy a six pack of " wake the #### up to yourself ".

Not Happy Jan....... is the understatment of the year in this instance.




LP

[Lucky_Phill]

In case ya missed it:-

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stori...03/3355047.htm

45 minutes long.... but...........



LP

[Chong]

Phill,
it will not change...Captain eyeonecnothing has to pay for her credit card some how???

[PADDLES]

bathurst bay seems a bit of a long shot to me phill.

to develop an export facility you need a sh!tload of infrastructure including rail to your stockpiles and access to the power grid for starters. having a mine right at the facility makes things a little easier/viable. i could be very wrong, but i'd be very surprised if there was any good reason to develop an export port in such a sensitive area, it'd have to be a commodity worth a lot of loot.

[Jarrah Jack]

Even in this day of greenie fundamentalism the $$ go right to the top very quickly. I wonder if there are some big trade offs going on.

A loading port for a marine park or two.

Who's the easiest to shaft? big business, greenies or fishermen?

[Camhawk88]

I have heard whispers of something up that way but cant work out why.
For starters the coal area is some 1000kms south of this area. Secondly it is very remote with only seasonal access and no infrustructure whatsoever.
Why on earth (putting aside the obvious environmental issues) would they build a facility so far away from the coal source while they are embarking on a massive expansion of the port on the doorstep of the industry with all the infrustructure already in place?
It makes no sense to me and I would question the sources of this info. That being said this government has a track record of doing blindingly stupid things that make no sense so I wouldnt put it past them but I would like to know if this might be 4 corners way of embelishing the story a little?

[PADDLES]

i take it all back, apparently there's coal nearby ................

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au...9941_news.html

[fishfeeder]

Maybe there wanting to use the terminal as a drop off for depleted Uranium.
Weren't they talking about building a dumping site not long ago in the Northern Territory !!

Makes you wonder what deal the Government made with the Mining industry.

[lampuki]

Thanks for the link Phill....I watched the vid.

A couple of thoughts......

So whilst debate rages on about global warming, and observational evidence is currently showing that earth has not been warming in the last decade, whilst carbon emissions have been ever increasing, its entirely appropriate to pass carbon tax into law......

However, when observational evidence is provided, coupled with the fact that the environment is directly and clearly being impacted by these developments.......mangrove clearing, dredging, water quality degradation etc...it is to be ignored and construction is to continue until evidence to the contrary is proven......where the f$$k is the precautionary principle now!!!!!! $$$

[MudRiverDan]

Gillard has to finance her popularity..
As far as a labour leader goes, any conservation issues or Labour issues have gone out the door.

She would rather spend her time strutting around overseas and lollygagging in front of the camera.. oh that is not when she is in the serious business of tearing us a new bumhole with the carbon tax.

She is absolutely perfect for the powers that be and you can see why they put her in place of power, because if you vote Labour you get her policies and if you vote Liberal you get her policies.

Finally the balance of democracy has been undermined by commercial interest, dammed if you do, dammed if you don't..

The again you could always vote for some of our very "special" independents, such as shootin, tootin, singin, "yeehaww" Bob Katter.

Ever get the feeling things are going downhill a little?

Oh and as for the mining industry I don't think all Australians are benefiting.. it is a sham for profiteers.
I recently had a job interview for Gladstone @80,000k a year...WOW!!
But after a few enquirys I found out I would be paying minimum $380.00 a week for a small unit (close to half my in hand pay), so in the long run I make more money staying in Brisbane on an medium to low wage job, rather than moving up there and making profiteers rich.

I mean how much are you paying for fuel, how expensive is food and essentials?
Is there huge economic stimulation creating jobs in Brisbane for job seekers...NO truth be known they are putting people off not employing them.

The biggest hoax in Australian history.

Rudd tried to return some of Australia's mining profit back into Australia and he got hung drawn and quartered and his ball hanging from a tree.
His only career options now are quiet nights alone with the bottle or suicide.


Cheers

[nigelr]

So I guess this means the infernal marriage of Brown and Gillard is well and truly over?
Where's the Wilderness Society, Pew et al now??????

[Camhawk88]

Oh and as for the mining industry I don't think all Australians are benefiting.. it is a sham for profiteers.
I recently had a job interview for Gladstone @80,000k a year...WOW!!
But after a few enquirys I found out I would be paying minimum $380.00 a week for a small unit (close to half my in hand pay), so in the long run I make more money staying in Brisbane on an medium to low wage job, rather than moving up there and making profiteers rich.

I mean how much are you paying for fuel, how expensive is food and essentials?
Is there huge economic stimulation creating jobs in Brisbane for job seekers...NO truth be known they are putting people off not employing them.

The biggest hoax in Australian history.


Cheers

Dan who do you think that money is going to from the rent, fuel, food etc? It aint the mining companies. It is the local people who run the servos, food outlets or have an investment property to rent. Of course a large slab goes to the big guys like woolies, BP etc. but the point is the large incomes earned by the workers in the industry means more money in the economy and in places with high earners this translates into higher prices. This is how the mining money spreads out beyond those just working directly for the mines. Of course it isnt all simple and long time residents that dont have business stakes or own properties can be disavantaged by the high prices but the money does flow through these local economies.

Im not saying themining companies are saints by any means but to say it is a con job that mining in Australia has no benifits to the economy or people in those communities is plain ignorant.

[robtarr]

Sorry a bit off topic Phill but I like the hypocrisy of imposing a $23/ton carbon tax (just passed by Bob and his senate mates) on the country that the majority of us don't want - supposedly designed to modify our behaviour to reduce our CO2 emissions (and the science is a long way from settled) at the same time we rapidly expand our coal export business. Talk about sending a confused message to the rest of the world.....lunacy.....and as if they're listening guys.....don't delude yourselves Juliar and Swannie that they are but they will take all the extra cash of ours you're offering to throw to the IMF....thanks for nothing
rant over

[Lucky_Phill]

I am still fuming at this proposal, let alone the other 5 NEW port facilities being built strategically placed within the Marine park.

Cammy..... There no doubt the flow on from the mining boom ( greed ) will impact on some communities.

I know the charter air business's are busting out, the motel accom is as full as Sunday afternoon priest and there are other offshoots.

I firmly believe that in the end, it will be a bad thing for EVERY Aussie. Well, not so much a bad thing, but a not- good thing. If ya know what I mean.

I think we are selling off our resources at a rediculously low price and at great detriment to our Country, it's people and the environment.

There is no doubt there will be short term gain for many small , medium and large business's and employees. Seriously, at what cost ?

Dan......... yeehaw Katter does have a following and a plan for Queensland and indeed Australia. It is not a pie in the sky plan, but a simple, achievable and above all... sustainable plan that will benefit EVERY Aussie. Sometimes " characters " like Bob seem a little awkward and not......... in sync to some, if not most people. But if one was to ... listen... to these types, one might just realise they are what this economically and morally downward spiralling nation needs. Maybe not in power, but certainly to be available and willing to roll up the shirt sleeves and actually do something positive , instead of taxing the be-jesus out of everyone of us in the hope of achieving self-gratification.

back to the coal loading proposal.

It is of course, only a proposal at the moment.

having said that.... he's how it goes.

" we'll build 6 new ports etc etc....... "

Conversation groups yell... NO.

" OK, OK we won't build the one at Bathhurst Bay ",, but begoora begoora we'll build very big bastads everywhere else.

It's the oldest trick in the pollies book. They try to make out they are doing you a favour and that YOU have make an impact and that THEY have listened to you, all the time slipping into us with the ole' 1 ... 2. Sucker punched from behind and givin an uppercut, all the while expecting thanks for providing us with Nirvana..........

IF PEW, AMCS, WWF and all those other feel good ferets don't jump all over this, I am afriad it will be left to some of us with SCRUPLES.

LP.

[MudRiverDan]

Im not saying themining companies are saints by any means but to say it is a con job that mining in Australia has no benifits to the economy or people in those communities is plain ignorant.

I was referring to the rest of QLD and Brisbane, I mean that is the catch cry of the Government, that mining companies make our country prosperous.
Of course a hand ful of locals are going to benefit.

For example for me, working in the mining sector and renting in Gladstone, means some person gets 2 times their property's average rental and I pay just under double my average rental expense that I would be paying in Brisbane.

After doing the math I found it was not as great as it first sounded.