The mining industry and environment movement have long been at
loggerheads, but conflict has escalated in recent times with the rapid
world-wide expansion of the unconventional gas industry.
The growing animosity reached a new high, when Stephen Galilee (NSW
Minerals Council's head) published an extraordinary personal attack on
two young female conservationists, accusing them of “economic vandalism” and
calling for them to be jailed for their actions in opposing coal and gas mining
(The Australian , 14th April).
The claim
of vandalism by a mining industry lobbyist against conservationists is a “bit
rich”, given incidents such as the recent coal mine fire at Morwell in Victoria
where a failure to undertake required rehabilitation and removal of
fire-fighting equipment saw the fire burning out of control for weeks, spewing
toxic smoke over the township, forcing inhabitants to flee their homes to
escape the health risks. The real social and economic costs of that incident are
unlikely to ever be determined.
The
Maules Creek coal mine, protests against which triggered Mr Galilee's article,
is owned by Whitehaven Coal, itself the recipient of multiple fines for
environmental vandalism, as has Santos, the owner of the Pilliga coal-seam gas
operation, with the latest $1500 fine, imposed for polluting an aquifer, not
even covering the investigation costs. Again the potential long-term economic
costs of those pollution events will probably never be known.
Mr
Galilee's vicious attack focusses on two courageous conservationists, Georgina
Woods and Carmel Flint, describing them as “professional activists” because
they have represented other environmental organisations in the past. However,
while occasionally being paid for their work, their remuneration would pale
into insignificance beside that received by Galilee, who apparently fails to
see that he too is a professional activist, lobbying on behalf of the mining
industry, with a long history working as adviser to various government
ministers on mining matters.
The only
difference, other than their salaries, is that Mr Galilee lobbies on behalf of
the mining industry and its share-holders, while the girls lobby on behalf of
all humanity, and those that have no voice, our wildlife.
- John Edwards
This article was published in The Daily Examiner (under a different title) in the "Voices for the Earth" column on 28th April.
Carmel Flint's work for the environment was recognised by the Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition (CVCC) in 2010 when she received the CVCC's ReWeavers' Award. Since then Carmel has continued her work for the environment, notably campaigning for improvements in environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin and also in campaigning against coal seam gas mining, particularly in the Pilliga.
