"Save Straddie: National park, not mining", was the main banner displayed outside the Queensland Supreme Court building on March 26, as Friends of Stradbroke Island, other conservation organisations and Indigenous residents of the island protested against moves to establish an industry to quarry and remove sand from the island.
Sandmining to extract valuable minerals has scarred the island for many years, but a company now wants to take the sand tailings and transport them to the mainland for the construction industry.
"North Stradbroke Island is the only Queensland sand island still being damaged by sandmining", says Savestraddie.com. "Currently, mining leases cover 70 per cent of the island and the public is excluded under threat of prosecution.
"Many of these leases have now expired and the miner UNIMIN Ltd has been charged with criminal offences for illegal mining on the island, yet the mining continues. The [Labor Premier Anna] Bligh government should not renew the leases and should end sandmining. All available land should then be declared National Park."
The Queensland Court of Appeal is considering an appeal by UNIMIN against a unanimous 2008 decision by Redland City Council to refuse planning approval for future sandmining and removal. Opponents of the mining are contesting the appeal, due to concerns by the island's traditional owners as well as environmental concerns.
They are calling on the state government to refuse mining leases, forestry permits and industrial contracts, all of which are required to allow the sandmining to proceed.
[For more information visit www.savestraddie.com.]