Bligh Government Keeps on Spinning About Protecting Farming Land from Mining

Today's announcement by Mines Minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, that his department would provide free legal aid to central Queensland farmers faced by mining companies wanting to take over their land is just one more example of this government's one-sided approach to dealing with the destructive impacts of mining.

Lock the Gate Alliance president, Drew Hutton, said central Queensland farmers had taken the most sensible step in the face of threats by mining companies to take over their land - they had locked the gate.

"Farmers on that beautiful cropping country in the Golden Triangle of central Queensland don't need some nerdy lawyer telling them what their rights are," Mr Hutton said.

"They simply need to stand together, refuse to negotiate with the mining companies and demand that the State Government and LNP Opposition adopt sensible policies to protect our food bowls."

Mr Hutton said if the Bligh government was serious about doing the right thing by central Queensland farmers, they would never have allowed coal mining company, Bandanna Energy, a loophole for getting around the proposed Strategic cropping Land legislation.

"This government and its LNP counterparts will do anything, say anything, rather than face up to their responsibility to protect good farm land, underground water systems and sensitive environmental areas from the impacts of mining," Mr Hutton said.

Lock The Gate Alliance