For immediate Release 6 September 2017  Plastic Bag Ban and Container Refund Scheme Bill Becomes Law in Queensland  Boomerang Alliance and allies, Wildlife QLD, Queensland Conservation Council, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, Clean Up Australia, Plastic Bag Free Livingston and Householders Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) have welcomed the unanimous passage of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Amendment Bill through the Queensland Parliament. The bill confirms a Plastic Bag Ban and Container Refund Scheme will be introduced into Queensland in July 2018. Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for August 31, 2017 LNP Renewables Policy Statement lacking any positive energy Peak environment group Queensland Conservation Council has expressed major disappointment with the LNP’s Renewables and Energy Policy Statement, saying it perpetuates myths about wind and solar capacity, backs in Federal Coalition policy of new coal-fired power, and sends negative messages to renewables investors. Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for August 17, 2017 (pic Andrew Brooks) Nature a winner as Springvale Station takes another step towards permanent protection Peak environment group Queensland Conservation Council has strongly welcomed the cancelling of two alluvial mining leases on the Springvale Station on Cape York. Continue reading

The report released by Environmental Justice Australia overnight, ‘Toxic and terminal: How the regulation of coal-fired power stations fails Australian communities,’ shows the health risks we face from our needless reliance on coal. The report looks to 10 coal-fired power stations across Australia, including Gladstone and Stanwell in Queensland, and shows us that these stations are the biggest source of fine particle pollution in the country. This comes after issues with coal dust and coal-related pollution were in the Queensland media over the weekend. Australian pollution standards are less strict than those of China, the UK and the US. Our state regulators must change their policies to ones that support not only a livable climate but a clean and safe environment.  Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for August 11, 2017   Coal is a dangerous toxic pollutant best left in the ground Peak environment group Queensland Conservation Council has pointed to recent instances of coal-related pollution incidents as evidence that coal should be treated as a dangerous toxic product that risks the health of humans, natural environments and the climate. Continue reading

JOINT STATEMENT 25 July 2017: INQUIRY NEEDED INTO NSW UNDERMINING OF BASIN PLAN REFORMS The ABC Four Corners program has uncovered disturbing evidence of alleged water theft and meter tampering in the NSW Barwon-Darling river systems. Billions of litres of water intended for the environment, and purchased with public funds, have been siphoned off by large irrigators for their own personal gain. Continue reading

Queensland Conservation Council, Australian Conservation Foundation, Wilderness Society, World Wide Fund for Nature JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT 25 July 2017 Federal laws ignored as threatened species habitats bulldozed in Great Barrier Reef catchment Australia’s peak environment groups have today released satellite imagery of what appears to be ongoing land clearing at Olive Vale Station on Cape York Peninsula. Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for July 21, 2017 Queensland's biodiversity is getting smashed by land clearing Peak environment group Queensland Conservation Council is calling for urgent action to control land clearing in Queensland, saying the future of the state’s biodiversity, including our koalas and threatened species, depends on it. Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for July 11, 2017 Peak state environment group Queensland Conservation Council has strongly welcomed the Palaszczuk government’s release of its Climate Transition Strategy and Climate Adaptation Strategy plans.  These documents are designed to lay out a pathway for Queensland to become a ‘net zero emissions’ state, and to prepare Queensland for the impacts of global warming that is already locked in and more that has been projected. Continue reading

MEDIA RELEASE for World Environment Day (June 5 2017) Peak state environment group Queensland Conservation Council has highlighted major land clearing law reform, a rapid expansion of renewable energy, and strong climate change action at the state and national level as the key components needed to help save the Great Barrier Reef and protect Queensland’s special wildlife such as the koala. Continue reading