Australia: Activists Stop Gladstone Harbour Dredging

Marking the last day of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee visit to Australia protesters descended on Gladstone Harbour and stopped dredging. Mark (Potts) Driscoll chained himself to the harbour dredge Razende Bol and Rotterdam boat, shutting down the controversial development of the Coal Seam Gas LNG port facility on Curtis Island in Gladstone Queensland.

Potts Driscoll and Friends of the Earth have taken this action to remind the voting public of the beauty and environmental values of the Great Barrier Reef. Today signifies the last day of the World Heritage Committee’s mission with this symbolic action to bring attention back to Gladstone and the destructive dredging.

“The dredging activities in Gladstone are a crime against the environment. The LNG facilities in Gladstone are another part in the destructive Coal Seam Gas industry in Queensland. This industry is destroying our farmland, polluting our water systems, and killing the Great Barrier Reef,” said Friends of the Earth spokesperson Drew Hutton.

“Today is the final day of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee monitoring mission to Australia. We want to send a clear reminder to the World Heritage team that Gladstone harbour is being killed and the dredging by the Coal Seam Gas industry is the cause”.

The visit by UNESCO was initiated by Gladstone locals over their concern for Gladstone Harbour and the massive industrial development, dredging and fish kills. In June 2011 the Australian Government was requested by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to ‘please explain’ why it should be able to maintain World Heritage declaration over the Great Barrier Reef for allowing LNG projects within the Great Barrier Reef marine park.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, March 15, 2012; Image: westernbasinportdevelopment