27 February 2024.
We at AgForce - on behalf of you our members - are urging Federal, State and Territory Labor leaders to step in and stop Australia’s largest freshwater resource, the Great Artesian Basin, from being pumped with industrial waste from mining giant Glencore.
It beggars’ belief that one of the natural wonders of the world – the mighty Great Artesian Basin – could be under threat in this way.
This proposal is akin to pumping industrial waste into the Great Barrier Reef – yet could we imagine any Australian leader sitting back to let that happen? No way!
Let’s be clear, the lifeblood of inland Australia is under threat…and that’s why we’ve stepped up to defend it. Every one of us should be outraged by what’s on the table being considered.
As far as we’re concerned, the Great Artesian Basin is a ‘no go zone’… far too precious to be tampered with and potentially damaged with no recourse. What’s proposed by Glencore is simply not worth the risk and it should be scrapped immediately.
There’s concrete scientific evidence that CO2 - which is in the industrial waste - reacts with underground rock, releasing stored toxins including arsenic and lead, to levels in the water that make it unsafe and even lethal.
It’s not every day that environmentalists, farmers, and Queenslanders, can stand side by side with regional and rural communities on an issue. But here we are… united in opposition to this reckless and dangerous plan… That clearly demonstrates how on the nose this proposal really is.
AgForce welcomes donations as it prepares to take the matter to the Federal Court, if we cannot convince our MP’s that this proposal must be stopped. We will not hesitate to take this matter to court if this cannot otherwise be adequately resolved. For anyone who wishes to do so – here is the link to our donations site: www.bit.ly/agforce-protect-the-gab