The Coalfields Express August 2013 (6.13)
Delivered FREE to homes in most Queensland mining towns & mining camps
The voice of the Coalfields!
Circulation 25,000
Time to set the record straight By Sherry Barnes The Queensland Resources Council has launched a public awareness campaign to set the record straight on the future of the Great Barrier Reef and the continuing prosperity of more than a million Queenslanders who work and live adjacent to it. “It’s time that increasingly hysterical claims by environmental activities were called to account,” said Chief Executive, Michael Roche, against a backdrop of the Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point coal terminals near Mackay. “We have two debates running over the future health of the Reef – one reflects the genuine concerns of all Australians to ensure the values of an iconic World Heritage Area are protected,” he said. “The other is an opportunistic attempt by extremely well-funded international
activists to deflect attention from the real threats to the reef’s health by demonising Queensland’s major export industries.” Mr Roche said anyone with a passing interest in the reef and its recent history knows from documented scientific evidence that ports and shipping through the reef do not represent major threats to its ecological integrity. “Every credible scientific report published on Reef health has named Crown Of Thorns starfish outbreaks, water quality and extreme weather events as the real culprits.” “Neither an increase in shipping traffic nor decades of port dredging has been scientifically recorded as contributing to coral cover loss, or a historical decline in the reef’s environmental health.”
Mackay resident Shane Hopkinson adds his protest in Rally For The Reef.
Port dredging the latest bogeyman “If they can halt dredging, they know they can shut down ports,” said Mr Roche. “Ports along the Queensland coast have been established, expanded and kept open by many decades of environmentally responsible dredging, none of which has interfered with coral reefs” The focus of the QRC public awareness campaign is a large fold-out map of the Great Barrier Reef including major ports and constantly monitored channels through which shipping moves. The reverse side has reef information, shipping safety measures, port dredging and major threats to reef health identified by GBRMPA and Australian Institute of Marine Science. Working Alongside The Great Barrier Reef can be found at www.qrc.org.au
“hysterical claims need calling to account”…Michael Roche
Why mining has been (mostly) good for us Don’t blame the boom, as the Federal Government has not saved enough of the $190 billion it earned from the mining boom to ensure the health of future budget, according to the latest Grattan Institute report. The mining boom: impacts and prospects finds that the incomes of most Australians, not only those from mining states – have risen faster during the boom decade than in the one before. Program Director, Jim Minifie said the report examines the fears some people have about the potential adverse consequences of the boom. “They worry about the high dollar, the impact of the boom on non-mining regions and the risk we will turn into a quarry economy. These concerns are understandable but they’re not borne out by the evidence,” he said. “There is always the risk of a downturn as resources investment and prices decline, but Australia has low inflation and a recession is far from inevitable.” The report finds, however, that one concern is well-founded. Tax decreases and spending increases have been larger than Australia can afford in the long run. “Government should continue to invest in skills and education to help workers adapt to an ever changing globalised economy,” he said. “These skills will be even more important as the longest and largest boom in 150 years winds down.”
INSIDE THIS ISSUE... • Darren Lockyer and Allan Langer to visit Gladstone
• Can Tony Abbot be trusted with the reef?
• Travelling may broaden the mind
• Sea World's baby polar bear takes first steps
See Sports Unlimited - new to Coalfields Express
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COASTLINE NEWSPAPER PTY LTD. Managing Director/Editor: Michael McRae, 32 Takalvan Street, Bundaberg, PO Box 1775 Bundaberg 4670. Phone 07 4153 1133 Fax 07 4153 3821 ACN 010897542 ABN 96 101 897 542. Est. 1986 - an independent Bundaberg owned family newspaper. Typeset and additional layout by jpg Design & Print P/L, Sunshine Coast. Printed by Fairfax, Brisbane. Copyright © Coastline Newspapers. Reproduction of any portion including advertisements or photographs without permission is not permitted and may render one liable for damages. DISCLAIMER: This publication is designed to provide authoritative information with regard to the subject matters covered. Whilst every effort has been made to present all information accurately, the Publisher accepts no liability for the accuracy of any inclusions, or any advice given, or for omissions from the publication. NOTE: All charges, facilities and timetables show in this issue are subject to change without notice. Coastline thanks Tourism Queensland for supplying some photographs used in this publication.