People power to #StopAdani is working as political support for this polluting mine starts to crumble.
Huge news today from Queensland, where the Queensland government has refused to facilitate public money for Adani’s coal infrastructure.
The proposed $1 billion dollar loan from the Federal government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) needed to pass through the Queensland government to get to Adani. And now it seems this route is blocked.
The pressure is working! We have created turbulence and fractured political support for this crazy plan. It shows what’s possible when we unite as a collaborative movement of people who show up, speak out and act.
Well done to every single person who has signed, called, donated, rallied and organised actions!
It’s not over. We haven’t stopped the funding or the mine – but it just got a whole lot harder for the Federal government to loan Adani the money they need to prop up this polluting mine. It’s unclear now how the government can legally get NAIF funding to Adani.
During our #StopAdani week of action, the ACF community stepped up to lead dozens of meetings and actions with Members of Parliament. Unanimous political support for the mine fractured in spectacular fashion, as politicians began to speak out against the mine.
As Guardian political editor Katharine Murphy reported today: “One Liberal said to me forcefully this week when I asked how Adani was playing out on home turf: “Christ, I wish it would just go away.”
“One Labor figure puts the problem for his party this way: “It is talismanic. It’s the litmus test. Adani has become shorthand for ‘are you serious about climate change?’.”
Although media reports say the Queensland government has ditched Adani’s exemption from royalties, in the fine print special treatment for coal continues – not just for Adani, but for other big companies who want to dig up and burn coal and gas.
These polluting projects are a colossal risk for our climate, our children, and natural systems we depend on.
But take heart because our voice is cutting through!
We are part of a united community of hundreds of thousands of Australians actively speaking out with ACF and our incredible #StopAdani allies. And polling shows a clear public majority agree that the age of coal is over.
After 4000 people attended the #StopAdani roadshow events, over 100 new community #StopAdani groups formed, hosting four events every day, or 323 events in three months, including film screenings, bank actions and MP office actions.
The Queensland government’s decision puts the issue of public funding for this climate-destroying coal project squarely at the feet of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Well done to everyone and thank you!
