Just 25 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD on the southern reaches of Mt Cotton lies a small hidden valley. Bounded by impenetrable rainforest, eucalypt woodlands, creeks and open grassland; it is home to many threatened animals and plants, some listed as endangered. It is also core Koala habitat. Because of its exclusion, this 200 hectare valley has been hidden from the scourges of modern development

– UNTIL NOW –

"The Beattie Government has directed the Redland Shire council to change Environment Protection zoning in the Redlands Planning Scheme to make way for a new super quarry, possibly 1 km in diameter and 60 metres deep. The direction by the Beattie Government to override local government planning is at complete odds with the Premier’s publicly stated position. What makes it more remarkable is that zonings for conservation protection were overridden. It completely contradicts statements made by Premier Beattie at the Community Cabinet meeting at Victoria Point on 11 September 2005.

At the community meeting Premier Beattie stated that his government would not be overriding local government planning.

Significant local amenity issues are attached to the Mt Cotton/California Creek quarry (KRA 71). The local community is already burdened with up to 500 trucks per day from the existing quarry (KRA 72) on roads that are already congested with residential traffic. They intimidate the mums and dads who use the same community roads to take children to school or go to work. Death and injury due to accidents from these heavy vehicles increases every year and the clear response we have had from the community is that they are fed up with quarry trucks on local roads.

The new superquarry pit is likely to require up to 200 truck movements per day for the next 60 years within an established urban community. However it will only supply less than 1.5 per cent of South East Queensland’s requirements for extractive materials. Given there are already identified mega-quarry sites, near railways in rural areas, including the Lockyer valley and on the Darling Downs;
why is the Beattie Government so determined to burden the Redlands with another large quarry that will adversely impact the community for the next 60 years.

It is not a smart plan and will only give an unfair competitive advantage against more sustainable options. It also goes against an international trend that is moving quarries to remote mega-quarry sites.

- FAIR GO PETER -