Brisbane, 18th March: 350 Australia strongly opposes changes just introduced by the Palaszczuk government which grant coal explorers major spending concessions

“The QLD Government just gave their mates in the fossil fuel industry a massive leg-up. It is ridiculous to grant concessions for coal companies to keep searching for coal whilst globally, climate change is causing mass devastation,” said Josh Creaser, 350.org Australia’s Frontline Projects Coordinator.

The changes introduced will result in a 50% reduction in required expenditure for coal explorers in 2016 and 2017.

“March temperatures just hit astronomical levels, robbing the Arctic of its winter. The northern hemisphere recently reached 2 degrees of warming above normal – a goal we promised not to breach til 2100. The Great Barrier Reef is on the brink of a mass bleaching event exaggerated by climate change.

Yet Queensland just told the coal industry to continue digging and burning more fossil fuels, which will drive further dangerous global warming.

“If we want a safe future and a healthy Reef, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground, not grant concessions so that more can be dug up.

“By introducing these changes, the Labor Government has yet again told the fossil fuel industry that Queensland is open for dirty fossil fuel business,” concluded Mr Creaser.

Media contact: Charlie Wood 0427 485 233