LANDHOLDERS in the golden triangle farming area near Springsure in Central Queensland are up in arms over a ‘dirty backroom deal’ arranged by departing environment minister Kate Jones to green light coal projects on their valuable cropping lands.
Gindie landowner Andrew Bate has attacked Labor’s high profile candidate for Ashgrove for refusing to discuss the decision with concerned locals and for only revealing her intentions in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper three weeks after the decision was made.
“What a spineless, grubby politician Kate Jones has turned out to be,” Mr Bate said. “The lucky company, Bandanna Energy was able to tell the stock exchange about the decision three weeks ago. We were left out in the cold.”
News of the decision prompted an invitation from Member for Gregory, Vaughan Johnson to the new natural resources minister, Rachel Nolan, to inspect the company’s proposed coal projects in the golden triangle.
"This is a last ditch effort for sanity to prevail,” Mr Johnson said. “Such is the quality of this land, it wins prizes. It is exactly the type of land that should be protected as part of any food policy."
Mr Johnson said Kate Jones' betrayal of landholders had created a very volatile situation.
"She gave these farmers repeated assurances of protection. Then just prior to stepping down from her ministry, Ms Jones announced special approval for the Bandanna Energy coal project on Springsure Creek. This was despite the project missing the deadlines for transitional arrangements," said Mr Johnson.
Mr Bate said Ms Jones had promised that any mining project that did not reach the “terms of reference” stage of its environment impact statement by May 31 would be subject to the new Strategic Cropping Land laws.
“And on May 31, when she announced the SCL Protection Zones, she promised that the farming area from Gindie to Orion Downs would be offered the highest level of protection,” he said. “Bandanna Energy actually completed its TOR on the 2nd of June. Now we are told that because the TOR was virtually complete, the mine can go ahead. A cutoff date is a cutoff date. End of story.”
He attacked the deal, saying the Bandanna Energy was ‘certainly not at an advanced stage of the mine approval process’. The company had not reached the full EIS stage, but had sought to implement a voluntary EIS. “They simply applied for a VIES to fast track their mining plans before SCL was introduced,” he said.
Mr Johnson accused the Government of playing a double game. "The real kicker is that Kate Jones and Treasurer Andrew Fraser trust Bandanna's easy reassurances on rehabilitation. But Bandanna doesn't even want to operate or own the mine. It will make its money by gaining government approvals with pie-crust promises. And then it will cash in by selling out.
Mr Johnson said the only likely beneficiary of the Government’s actions would be private interests from India. “And we will all be left counting the cost,” he said. “I have invited the Minister to come and see for herself why her predecessor's decision is wrong and must be overturned.”
He said farmers had been tricked into believing that the strategic cropping land legislation would afford them protection when in fact a loophole allowed for the protection to be revoked in "exceptional circumstances".
"I suspect we're going to see a lot of special case-pleading,” Mr Johnson said.
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