By Margaret Maccoll
The protest against the New Hope Colton Coal mine gained considerable backing on Sunday when one of Australia’s leading nature conservationists, John Sinclair, announced his support at an anti-mine concert at Noosaville.
In 1971 Dr Sinclair founded the Fraser Island Defenders Organisation (FIDO) and headed the campaigns to cease sandmining, gain World Heritage recognition, stop logging and improve recreation management on Fraser Island.
On Sunday, Dr Sinclair said the mine’s open cut method raised concerns about the leaching of acids and heavy metals from a water-filled mine cavity into waterways and food chain, and the potential effects on the surrounding area including the Mary River and Sandy Strait.
“After the mining stops, the hole will still be there,” he said.
Dr Sinclair said protests had led to a Federal Government review of the project, but he called on people to support the campaign by raising money to fund research to provide strong evidence on the mine’s potential effects and to raise public awareness of the environment.
The New Hope Group gained Queensland Government mining lease approval for its Colton coal project in May.
The project is located on undeveloped State land 10km north of Maryborough and west of Hervey Bay, and lies within the Susan River catchment – a tributary of the Mary River.
New Hope Group’s managing director Shane Stephan said the approval, “provided after thorough review of potential impacts demonstrates that the environmental credentials of the project stack up”.
