The April 3rd deadline for objections to Waratah Coal’s applications for the Mining Lease (ML) and the Environmental Authority (EA) for their Galilee Coal Project is fast approaching.
We on The Bimblebox Alliance (TBA) committee have been working hard on research, updating the website, liaising with the EDO on the Land Court case and forging links with other groups who care about saving irreplaceable Bimblebox, the fragile Desert Uplands that live over the Galilee Basin’s coal deposits – and the planet! – from this new mega coal mine.
Our work is voluntary, but there will be much that will require substantial funds if we are to give our campaign the best chance of success, both in court and in the public domain.
We know we have your hearts but we will also need more hands and heads in the months ahead, so we would welcome more of you to join TBA to undertake some of the jobs that will arise, from running a stall to IT tasks to helping out at the Refuge. The more volunteer Davids, the less the power of Goliath!We are working on getting a tax-deductible method for you to donate if you are a business in need of a tax deductible receipt, but meanwhile please head to our website and BUY as much promotional Bimblebox material as you can. Give them to friends – and enemies! This not only helps us raise the funds we need, but spreads awareness of Bimblebox, and starts a conversation.
Our stunning photographic calendars will give pleasure and information for the next nine months – and we give you a FREE one when you buy a T-shirt or two. Flaunt your support on an organic cotton T-shirt with the smart Bimblebox leaf logo, or flash it on a shoulder bag, printed green on natural organic cotton.
We will be ramping up the campaign to raise the public profile of the plight of Bimblebox – and thus all nature refuges – under a system that prioritises mining exploration licences over legally ‘protected’ areas. Owners sign contracts with one government department to protect these special places ‘in perpetuity’, yet another department can sanction the obliteration of a large (almost 8000 hectares), irreplaceable biodiversity hotspot by a huge coal mine.
Bimblebox cannot be offset. ‘Coal instead of Nature? Not on our watch!’
TBA has been asked by some supporters how they can make individual objections to the Land Court against Waratah Coal’s applications for the Mining Lease (ML) and the Environmental Authority (EA) for their Galilee Coal Project. To help with this process, we have put together the following information.By 4.30 pm on the due date of April 3rd, 2020, objections must be received by email or by post by the Coal Assessment Hub and a copy received by Waratah Coal.
Post: Coal Assessment Hub, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, PO Box 3679, Red Hill Qld 4701
• Potential objectors should be aware that both objection forms note that: ‘If you sign this page you will be required to participate in proceedings before the Land Court regarding your objection.’ (This is not the same as making a submission regarding an EIS.)
• The details you would need to know have been filled in on both forms. On our website, you might find the Bimblebox Fact Sheet helpful, with more information in the Background section. We have also now added an overview of Waratah Coal’s Galilee Coal Project itself.
For more extensive background information, you might wish to read the Qld Government Coordinator General’s report and Galilee Coal Project’s environmental impact statement documents and their approvals. Also see the actual ML & EA public notifications.
Twitter (@BimbleboxNR).
Bimblebox Nature Refuge
Alpha, Queensland 4724
bimblebox@gmail.com
https://bimblebox.org