Environmental vandalism Ken Avery (Her- “I am shocked, as ald 25/2/14) please I’m sure are many know that others Highfields residents. share your outrage “Sustainability is over the total de- embedded in the Aus- struction of trees on tralian curriculum, the new high school schools must have block. I, too, was to- School Environmental tally disgusted and Management Plans wrote to Trevor and councils, as well Watts MP on Febru- Highfields State high school clearing as government agen- ary 21. Opportunity to understand why cies, have guidelines to Mr Watts was apparently only too happy follow as regards protection of the environ- to pose for publicity before machinery (aka ment. weapons of mass environmental destruc- “It seems to me that this week has demon- tion) demonstrating his connection to the strated that some processes clearly under- project. However, he has so far had no opin- mine the sustainability messages our educa- ion about what has happened in his own tion system expects delivered to students. electorate, my letter having been forwarded The very place where local students will at- to the office of John-Paul Langbroek, “seek- tend school, an area students and families pass ing his feedback”. regularly, is now bare. This poor example by Two weeks have passed. The felled trees government is unacceptable. Had the new are now mulch, presumably to be used on school required cleared land, the land on the site to re-establish gardens. opposite side of the intersection was already This cannot be reversed but the commu- tree free.” nity, by expressing its dissatisfaction, can I would appreciate an opportunity to un- ensure there is no repeat. derstand the reason for the clearing. A short search on government websites Perhaps there are reasons and information about clearing regulations, uncovered the in- to which I haven’t had access. Perhaps, dur- formation that the government is exempt ing the community consultation process, High- from applying its own rules, where the clear- fields community members approved of clear- ing is for infrastructure. Interesting. Having ing all vegetation from the site? Probably not. the right to clear should mean that at the Currently, I can only assume a government- very least it is used wisely, not as a means to sanctioned and funded act of environmental sanction total destruction. vandalism has been perpetrated in Highfields, In my letter to Mr Watts, I wrote, “When on a site that’s function will soon include edu- I first saw the tree felling I assumed that cation with a Cross Curriculum Priority of some trees would need to go to allow for Sustainability. building work and that others would be re- I’m sure, to many community members tained around the boundary and perhaps observing work on the site, the word hypo- sporting fields. This week, every tree has critical would seem to apply. - Lee Reushle, gone. Toowoomba. Environmental costs Dale Collins (Herald 4/3/14) is to be praised every year, not to provide water for stock, or for his loyalty to his employer, New Hope feed people, but simply to control dust. Even Coal, which have recently asked all their then, New Hope’s own scientific modelling workers to speak up in favour of their mine shows that their Acland operations will ex- expansion. ceed safe dust levels for a number of families What they did not tell their employees that live near the mine. however, but is hidden in their 4500-page Maclagan might be just far enough away, environmental impact statement, is the real but Acland, Muldu, Brymaroo and Jondaryan environmental costs of their mine. will not be. Perhaps Mr Collins should have found We read about the extension of drought this out first, before being quick to say he declarations to 80 per cent of Queensland would recommend purchasing any land as with great sadness. What these farmers think prime farming land, or consider purchasing it about this travesty of water wastage by the himself. mining sector, we cannot begin to guess. New Hope could be dumping 750 tonnes These people have shot hundreds of their of tyres a year into their pits for the next 15 cattle, or walked away from their land in des- years if they get the go-ahead. It’s in the EIS. peration, because of lack of water. We did not make this figure up. That is The drought declaration for Toowoomba over eleven thousand tonnes of tyres, along Regional Council was less than a week after with all the contaminants that tyres contain. we attempted to highlight to the Queensland Mine tailings are the nasty toxic slurry Co-ordinator General the stupidity, selfish- that is left over from coal processing, and ness and unsustainability of open cut coal there will be 26 million tonnes of that to put mining on good farmland. within the pits also, according to the mine’s We have nothing against people who work own figures. in the coal industry, just the company execu- We don’t think anyone will be grazing cat- tives and the Governments that aid and abet tle, or doing any farming at Acland, for the them. We are happy to show Mr Collins, or simple fact that mined land (especially tail- anyone else, a different proposal for Acland ings pits and dumps) is on a Queensland land, drawn up by experts. Government contaminated land register. It has 750 hectares of solar panels, which We are sure Mr Collins, as a farmer, un- provide rental income for farmers and can derstands what this implies. power 70,000 homes. There are 1360 hec- The meat from his cattle is unlikely to be tares of Strategic Cropping Land for irrigated purchased for human consumption or al- vegetable crops and thousands more hectares lowed to be sold through saleyards. for grazing, conservation, housing or tourism. Aquifer drawdown of 20-30 metres could There are jobs on offer which are truly long impact land up to 7 km from the mine ac- term, unlike mining jobs which have always cording to the EIS. been boom and bust in nature. We just need This is almost to Oakey. It will be tricky the courage of this Government to care enough to farm such land. Nearly 9 billion litres of about future generations of Queenslanders water will be used each year for the next 15 who want to work and raise families on this years to wash coal and suppress dust over land with all due care and stewardship of its the entire mine site. precious natural resources. - Oakey Coal Just think about that amount of water - Action Alliance John Cook, president, Dr over one litre for every human on the planet, Reg Pascoe, secretary, Dr Nicki Laws. Asbestos audit With support from PCCN and Heritage requiring remediation under an Asbestos Bank, the Asbestos Audit report on Perse- Management Plan. verance Hall by Queensland Asbestos Man- This is required by State legislation and is a agement Services should be available in a cou- prerequisite to have available for any future ple of days, after testing of samples taken tradesmen performing work on the premises. during the inspection is performed. - Geoff Brumpton, Perseverance Hall As- Then we will know if there are any matter sociation. - More letters page 6 2 - HIGH COUNTRY HERALD - MARCH 18, 2014 New high school path removes no trees Toowoomba Regional The footpath will be con- using a retaining wall that formed footpath already meeting on Tuesday, March marked trees as a guide to in the council’s medium Council is set to approve structed along O’Brien would raise the footpath existed in front of a line of 18. where the path could be term planning, O’Brien the design of a footpath Road where possible, but above the street level. houses. It has been a controver- located to avoid removing Road could be expanded to that is to link the new will be built around and be- Cr Bill Cahill suggested The new high school is sial issue since earlier this trees. four lanes of traffic as the Highfields High School hind trees in the park, to another option that no foot- already under construction year when it was noticed During the council’s In- area north of Highfields, with the Highfields Cul- ensure no trees need to be path should be constructed and is due to open at the that some trees had been frastructure Committee particularly in the tural Centre. removed. along the western side of beginning of next year. marked, triggering a com- meeting, general manager Kleinton area, continued to No trees along O’Brien Council’s Infrastructure O’Brien Road. Instead, two The council is under pres- munity response (includ- of Infrastructure Mike be developed. Road, and in the adjacent Committee voted for this pedestrian crossings sure to have the path com- ing two petitions) that Brady said the path would It would, therefore, avoid Charles and Mottee option in preference to an- should take students and pleted in time for the new these trees would be de- be constructed of asphalt a more costly concrete path Rogers Park will be re- other which extended along other pedestrians to the school year. stroyed to make way for the rather than concrete be- if new design work had to moved in constructing the O’Brien Road from Polzin eastern side of O’Brien A decision will be made path. cause this material had a be undertaken in about 10 footpath. Road to Community Court, Road where space for a at the council’s ordinary The council, in fact, had life of at least 10 years, and years.