An unlikely alliance of protestors led by Bob Katter, Alan Jones and The Greens has upped its campaign against mining companies acquiring valuable farmland by blockading a coal-loading facility in Queensland.
Jones, a passionate opponent of coal seam gas expansion, teamed up yesterday with Katter and the Lock The Gate organiser and co-founder of the Australian Greens, Drew Hutton, to protest the expansion of New Hope Coal in Jondaryan west of Brisbane.
Jones, who was No. 2 on our Media Megaphones power list and No. 8 on our Sydney list, said LNP opposition leader Campbell Newman had indicated to him that they would stop expansion in the area.
"There is only 4.1% of Queensland which is prime agricultural land," Jones told the assembled crowd according to the Australian Financial Review. "All we are saying in the interest of food security and water is quarantine the 4%."
Katter's fellow Australia Party leader Aidan McLindon said his party would enact a moratorium on coal seam gas drilling and would protect farmland from mining giants.
"This expansion will take up 7000 hectares of prime farming land in the food bowl of Australia, the Darling Downs, and will come within five kilometres of Oakey,'' he told AAP.
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