By Margaret Maccoll
A packed hall of Cooran residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of fighting off any attempts at mining in the region.
More than 250 people crowded into the town’s Memorial Hall to watch the film Undermining Australia which was produced by anti-mining lobby group Lock the Gate and join in a discussion that followed.
The meeting was organised by Cooran Earth Rights, a local group that formed only six months ago after learning of the existence of mining exploration permits in the region at another meeting called to discuss the threat to the Great Sandy Strait from the re-opening of a mine near Maryborough.
Spokeswoman Helen Moffat told the crowd that the group was affiliated with Lock the Gate Alliance but had no political affiliations.
She said they wanted to educate people about the effects of mining across the county which resulted in acquisition of private property, loss of farmlands, the destruction of communities and environments.
“Some of us decided enough is enough,” she said.
Lock the Gate’s Julie Devine said their aim was to educate communities. She told the meeting about national trespass laws which enable landowners to say no to exploration teams and said some communities had succeeded in declaring themselves coal and gas mining free.
“There are places for appropriate mining and places where it should never happen,” she said.
She said mining leases existed locally and were listed on the Department of Mines website with some leases coming up for renewal in 2018.
Cooloola Community Action Group spokeswoman Bronwyn Marsh shared the story of how 1200 community members around Goomboorian and Wolvi had declared their region coal mine and gasfield free in September 2014.
About 50 people attended a second meeting on Sunday to discuss taking ongoing action.
Helen said their aim was to stay informed of any local mining progress and keep people informed and abreast of their rights.
