By ALENA HIGGINS
COMMUNITY members and lobbyist groups have applauded Southern Downs Regional Council’s hard-nosed stance following its decision to ban coal and CSG exploration on council-owned land last week.
Councillors unanimously voted to prohibit approvals or permits for coal-related mining exploration on council verges, reserves, easements or any other land controlled by the council at its general meeting in Stanthorpe on Wednesday.
The multi-point motion, tabled by councillor Jamie Mackenzie, also strengthened the protection for strategic cropping land and residential areas.
The Southern Downs now joins Scenic Rim Regional Council as only the second council in Queensland to severely restrict mining that it said would adversely impact the area’s tourism, rural lifestyle or agricultural production.
Southern Downs Protection Group president Sarah Moles described the historic decision as “a good start“ but warned residents to remain vigilant.
“We have to be mindful that we are only talking about council-owned and controlled land here,” she said.
“I think it is very good for council to seek to increase the buffer protection zones around villages and the priority living areas, but there are still mining exploration leases right across the Southern Downs and there are plenty of ways in which those applications can be approved.”
Clean Air Queensland campaign director Michael Kane praised the decision but said more work needs to be done at state level.
He said there were at least nine exploration leases currently active on the Downs and called on the neighbouring shire of Toowoomba, Western Downs and Goondiwindi to follow suit.
“People are sick of being told by state politicians that they have to put up with mining developments in their communities,” Mr Kane said.
SDRC mayor Peter Blundell said the council felt strongly that priority agricultural areas across the Southern Downs, as well as associated aquifers, should be protected from any form of coal, oil and/or coal seam gas developments.
“Resource sector developments is also in conflict with the tourism potential of the Southern Downs with its vistas, clean air, peace-and-quiet and landscape quality,” he said.
“Council does recognise the value of mining to the Queensland economy in appropriate locations and that mining is ultimately controlled by the State Government in consultations with the regional councils into the future.
“The State Government has strongly voiced its support of Priority Agricultural Areas (PAAs) so the SDRC announcement really is in keeping with state policies.
Cr Blundell said while the QLD Plan document recognises buffer zones for urban areas with a population over 1000 people, a number of our communities are left without buffer zones.
“We agreed (last week) to begin discussions with the relevant State Government ministers and officials with a view of amending legislation to increase the protection of urban areas especially villages in the Southern Downs Region as Priority Living Areas,” Cr Blundell said.
Meanwhile, Ms Moles called on Labor to honor its election pledge to reinstate landholders’ and communities’ rights to object to mining projects if it is able to form government following last Saturday’s stunning election swing.
To see the full wording of the resolution, head to southerndowns.qld.gov.au/content/Document/Minutes/2015/General_Council_Meeting_Minutes_28_January_2015.pdf and scroll to page nine.
