Today in Canberra, veteran environmentalist Bob Brown will join community leaders from around the country to launch the ‘Stop Adani Alliance’ and build the biggest movement in Australia’s history to stop Adani’s dangerous coal mine and end coal for good.

North Queensland Conservation Council (NQCC) is a founding member of the Alliance.

NQCC co-ordinator Maree Dibella said, “It’s great to see people from around the country join our fight to stop the Adani’s mine from going ahead.  I know there is a lot of local support here in Townsville for this campaign, but I also know we can’t win this on our own.”

“We’re hosting the first Stop Adani public meeting next Monday here in Townsville.  People power is what can stop Adani, and this is our chance for our community to gather and hear from renowned speakers about what comes next”

Background to the Stop Adani Alliance:

• 13 key environment groups, representing 1.5 million Australians, launch ‘Stop Adani Alliance’
• New polling shows three quarters of Australians want Adani to fund their own infrastructure, rather than rely on a $1 billion loan of public money
• Launch to be followed by open strategy session and meetings with influential MPs
• 13 Alliance members: Bob Brown Foundation, Australian Conservation Foundation, 350.org, GetUp, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Mackay Conservation Group, North Queensland Conservation Council, Environment Council of Central Queensland, Whitsundays Residents Against Dumping, Market Forces, The Sunrise Project.

Former Senator, Dr. Bob Brown said, “People are coming together to draw a line in the sand with Adani, just as previous generations did with the Franklin River dam. In fact, the Stop Adani campaign reminds me of the Franklin in many ways, the level of passion and commitment will turn this into a nationwide showdown.

“Adani’s coal mine will be the most dangerous in our history, ramping up global carbon pollution precisely when emissions need to be drastically cut.

“Adani and the Federal government have no idea of the scale of opposition and voter backlash they’re facing – it is time for them to withdraw approvals for the mine and stop coal for good.”

New polling shows three quarters (74.8%) of Australians want Adani to fund their own infrastructure rather than rely on a $1 billion taxpayer subsidy HERE. This comes on the back of recent polls which reveal: the majority of people (63%) think the best thing for Australia would be for Adani to invest in large scale solar not a new coal mine HERE and that Adani’s Carmichael coal mine is a threat to the Reef and should not go ahead (67%) HERE.

Alliance spokesperson, ACF President and businessman Geoff Cousins AM, who flew in yesterday from a Stop Adani tour of India, said“Australians don’t want this dangerous coal mine. It’s clear from new polling that the community are with us – they know coal is a dirty, dying industry.

“Three quarters of Australians are disgusted that Adani, a corporate rogue, could pocket a $1 billion handout of public money for a project that no bank will touch.

“The Government and the Labor Party must categorically rule out any public funding for the mine. This is no time for the Federal Government to be handing over taxpayer money for the most polluting project in Australia that will fuel global warming.”

The new polling also shows that: the majority of people polled (60%) understand that the mining and burning of coal fuels global warming impacts such as heatwaves, bushfires, floods, droughts and more severe and frequent storms and nearly two thirds (64.1%) believe governments should wait for the consent of Aboriginal traditional owners rather than pushing ahead with the mine.

Ms Millie Telford, National Co-Director of the Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, said “Adani’s mine will destroy country and the climate forever and devastate the ancestral lands, waters and culture of Aboriginal peoples in the region as well as Indigenous communities who are already on the frontline of climate change.

“State and federal governments are doing Adani’s dirty work for them working to ram through changes to both native title and water laws so their dangerous mine goes ahead, in the face of opposition to the mine from the Wangan and Jagalingou peoples.

“New polling shows that nearly two thirds of Australians believe that state and federal governments should wait until the consent of the Wangan and Jagalingou people is secured.

“As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, we have a responsibility to protect country and are rising up against this destructive coal mine. We are proud to join the Stop Adani Alliance and to stand with over two million people around the world who have already taken action to stop this mine.”

FURTHER BACKGROUND

Stop Adani Alliance Declaration

Stop Adani Alliance Background Briefing

Carmichael Mine Fact Sheet – fully referenced

New ReachTEL polling

Environmental Justice Australia The Adani Brief – What governments and financiers need to know about the Adani Group’s record overseas