Hills residents gathered in front of Earthly Pleasures cafe in Belgrave on Saturday 7 October, calling on the Federal Government to rule out support for the proposed Adani mega-mine in north Queensland.
The protest, organised by Stop Adani Belgrave, was part of a nationwide day of action.
More than 50 people participated, drawing the support of residents from Belgrave, The Basin and beyond.
The group surveyed local shoppers, asking their views on the mine.
The group said those they surveyed “overwhelmingly voiced opposition to Adani”.
Spokesperson Don McArthur said the group didn’t want to see $1 billion of public money offered to support Adani’s polluting mine.
“Burning the coal that Adani wants to dig up means more severe weather events, more often; and the end of the Great Barrier Reef as we know it,” he said.
“Just this past week, we’ve heard warnings of 50 degrees temperatures in summer within just decades.
“If this was a health warning from our doctor, what would we do?
“One thing we would not be doing is offering a billion dollars in public money to make the problem worse.”
Mr McArthur said Australia’s big four banks, as well as a long list of international financial institutions, have ruled out funding for the mine, yet the government continues its support.
“In the hills, people are joining with others nationwide to spell it out loud and clear to politicians,” he said.
“We want to invest in schools, hospitals and large-scale renewable energy projects.
“We need political courage from our members of parliament to make this happen.”
Mr McArthur said the group had approached La Trobe MP to gain his position on this issue.
“Stop Adani Belgrave is calling on him publicly to rule out support for a $1 billion federal loan for the mine,” he said.
