THE mining versus agriculture debate has been ratcheted up this week by Darling Downs church leaders worried about its impact on affected communities.
Bishop of the Western Region, Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, Rob Nolan, Presbytery Minister Uniting Church in Australia (Downs Presbytery), Sharon Kirk, and executive officer, Social Justice Commission, Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba, Dr Mark Copland, see it as a "social justice" issue that is troubling many of their parishioners.
A joint statement underscores how they stand in solidarity with those farmers who fear for their security and future way of life.
Likewise, the representatives of southern Queensland's Anglican, Catholic and Uniting churches also acknowledge the contribution of mining and the generation of electricity throughout the region.
It's a sign of the sensitivity of an issue that, to date, has won little sympathy on the part of the Bligh Government.
The Bishop of the Anglican community's Western Region, Rob Nolan, said: "People say the church should not get involved in these things, but if the church does not get involved, then it becomes irrelevant.
"The church is 'people' and while we are political, we are not party-political."
Bishop Nolan believes the heart of the debate centres on the lack of government policy for making the best use of the State's natural resources, underscoring an increasing feeling of "inequality and powerlessness" on behalf of affected communities.
Catholic church spokesperson Dr Mark Copland makes the point that the issue continues to be raised by parishioners, notably at Jandowae, Chinchilla, Clifton and Allora, where the impact of proposed mining activity on prime agricultural land continues to top the agenda in each diocese.
"This is something they are all very concerned about," he said.
Presbytery Minister for the Uniting Church, Sharon Kirk, says there is another "sleeper issue" to consider, namely global food shortages.
Minister Kirk believes there needs to be greater dialogue with govern-ment officials, requiring a "big picture" plan for land use by getting more "round table" discussions between the State Government, farmers and miners.
Lobby group FutureFood Queens-land is calling on Natural Resources Minister Steven Robertson to "urgently introduce" a moratorium on new mining and gas operations across the State's cropping lands.
In the meantime, its co-chairman, Geoff Hewitt, has welcomed the commitment made by Premier Bligh, Deputy Premier Lucas, and Minister Robertson to undertake a regional development planning process aimed at guiding the development of the State's resources.
"We have been calling on the Government to initiate a planning process for some time, so it was good to receive that commitment from the State's leaders in writing from Minister Robertson early this week," Mr Hewitt said.
He stressed, however, that energy companies were continuing their push into quality farmland, suggesting the planning process would take too long to prevent major loss of farms.
"Only two percent of the State's land area is prime farmland and it is under threat of destruction. Urgent action is needed in the form of a moratorium," Mr Hewitt said.
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