Nimbin goes to Gladstone

Nimbin activists in Gladstone.

Earlier this year Metgasco, as reported in the Ipswich local paper, described their rather detailed gas pipeline proposal as "conceptual". Both ends of the concept are significant World Heritage Areas. Here at the concept's mouth end we have the largest remaining area of subtropical rainforest on the planet which is one of the most biodiverse areas in Australia. Were we to allow its destruction, the gas companies would frack 1.5 million tonnes of CSG per year from under us and pipe it in their concept to Gladstone for liquefaction.

Nimbin Environment Centre organised a busload to suss out the other end of the concept.

Once Gladstone harbour was an idyllic setting of tropical islands fringed by mangroves set in some of the most extensive sea grass beds at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Mangroves and seagrass are two of the most prolific primary producers supporting an abundant food chain. Not anymore. On a harbour already overfull with toxic industry more mangroves are being cleared and dredge sludge is being dumped on seagrass beds inside an 8km long berm. The remaining seagrass can't get sunlight to grow and oxygenate because of the dirty grey green dredging mud fouling the water.

Already a large area of World Heritage Curtis Island has been cleared for the monster LNG plant and for dongas to house 6000 workers for the five-year construction period. Leo Zussino, CEO of the Gladstone Ports Authority, was inveigled into speaking with us due to our skilful police negotiator after we "stormed" his building. Leo, who is reputed not to talk with locals especially fishermen, nonetheless in two hours told us that the World Heritage boundaries had been mistakenly drawn in the wrong place! Leo is only concerned about the locals, he cares naught about anyone outside Gladstone. Locals, to Leo, did not include those made homeless by a recent quadrupling of rent.

We were treated like royalty wherever we went with an exclusive obsessive police escort, including the terror squad and plain clothes snoops. When the bus went up to Yeppoon to enliven a Clive Palmer event I saw no police in Gladstone!

The tragedy is that all this environmental destruction is based on a fallacy of gas being less greenhouse gas intensive than coal, when in fact CSG is worse than burning coal by 20% and LNG worse still by about 50%.

We also entertained British Gas and Australia Pacific LNG in their buildings with our Save the Reef song and we let them all know none of our gas was coming their way.

Alan Roberts

Nimbin Environment Centre