Friends of Stradbroke Island

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4072085.htm

http://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree/2014/aug/10/ campbell-newman-is-in- quicksand-over-mining-on- stradbroke North Stradbroke, affectionately known as “Straddie” by most South-east Queenslanders, is the world’s second largest sand island. It’s a popular holiday destination on Brisbane’s doorstep, with beautiful surfing beaches and a laid-back feel. Amendments to the 2011 North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act, were passed by the Queensland parliament last November. They are intended to allow mineral sand mining by the Belgian owned concern Sibelco to be extended at the main Enterprise mine in 2019 (the current limit) to 2035. Sibelco stands to benefit by $1.5 billion,  according  to its own figures. Last year, it  closed  a small silica sand mine on the island which had employed 13 people. It had not been  scheduled to close  until 2025. Sibelco’s future operations depend upon the Enterprise mine. In a  scathi...

Reported in the weekend's Brisbane Times and Courier Mail (front page), Corruption Fighter Tony Fitzgerald QC has made a scathing assessment of the Newman government, in which he made mention of Stradbroke Island. This is an extract:- "Dishonest members of parliament, nepotism, preferential treatment of supporters, removal of limits on political donations, large-scale public service sackings, a major down-grade of hospital staff conditions, shutting down health and juvenile rehabilitation programs,  reduced protection of the environment and support for commercial activities posing a risk of major damage to natural assets including the Great Barrier Reef and Stradbroke Island ,  termination of the office of Climate Change and approval of activities involving large-scale emissions, limiting union rights, ill-informed and sometimes invalid criminal laws, changes to electoral laws - an unfortunate reminder of the gerrymanders which gave the National and Liberal Partie...

The Brisbane Times today published an interesting article from our member Richard Carew. It has been popular with the Brisbane Times readership. This is the link -  http://www.brisbanetimes.com. au/queensland/the-government- is-lying-about-stradbroke- island-sand-mining-20140715- zt7j0.html

http://www. independentaustralia.net/ environment/environment- display/newmans-straddie-sand- mining-bill--the-sibelco- favours,6640 This article published on the Independent Australia news website exposes the misreporting of the North Stradbroke legislation. Sand mining has not been extended to 2035. The Newman government amendments to the 2011 legislation passed in November last year, removed the restricted mine path at the Enterprise mine and allow Sibelco to apply, but not until 2019, to extend mining leases to 2035.  Stradbroke Island is special. Enough damage has been done. We need to save straddie now, for the sake of our children and future generations. The Newman amendments must be repealed !

View PDF of letter here Mr Cameron Costello  ​ 8 June, 2014 Chair Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation BY EMAIL:  ceo@qyac.net.au Dear Cameron I write to you and the board of QYAC on behalf of the FOSI committee and all our members to support the commencement, last Friday, of QYAC’s High Court challenge to the Newman government’s amendments to the 2011 North Stradbroke legislation. FOSI confirms its strong opposition to the November 2013 amendments because they permit the further expansion of sand mining at the Enterprise mine by abolishing the 2011 restricted mine path and also allowing mining to extend into ML 1120.In addition, FOSI strongly opposes the Newman amendments because they are designed to permit, in 2019, sand mining leases at Enterprise mine to be extended again – until 2035. As an environment group committed to the protection of the island’s landscape and its diverse flora and fauna, we applaud QYAC for its High Court challenge. We ap...

This video taken while scuba diving at Manta Bommie, just off Point Lookout was submitted by a recent visitor to North Stradbroke Island. Manta Bommie is a good site to see the mantas up close, as they come in from the deeper water to this well known cleaning station, and the little cleaner wrasse get to work removing parasites and dead skin from the mantas. You can see a couple of the cleaners going into the mouth of the larger manta from about 1:00 into the video. This was a very surreal experience, the mantas are a bit spooky and it took some time before they would approach us, while we waited on the bottom. After a few minutes it seemed like their curiosity took over, and they came much closer to check us out. At one point, the larger manta got so close that I had to pull the camera out of its way. The larger one was about 3.5 metres wide, the smaller one about 2 metres. This species (manta alfredi, or reef manta) can grow as large as 5.5 metres wide!