A fun, vibrant, colourful, and determined public demonstration against industry plans to more than double coal exports from the Hunter.
Join people from all across NSW to say “No!” to more coal.
You should come if:
* You're a Newcastle resident who is sick of breathing in coal dust.
* You're a farmer fighting the expansion of coal mining into agricultural land.
* You live along the rail line in Newcastle or the Hunter Valley, and are sick of coal trains.
* You've been told by politicians that a coal mine is coming to your community.
* You're a citizen of NSW, who puts community health, democracy, and biodiversity before coal industry profits.
* You're a citizen of the world, who wants to leave a liveable climate for our children.
Please bring colourful props to demonstrate where you are from and why you want to stop T4!
About T4:
State and Federal Governments are poised to give the green light to a massive new coal terminal in Newcastle, called T4.
If T4 goes ahead, it will mean:
* More coal dust. Coal stockpiles would total almost 10km in length, and be more than 20m high. These uncovered coal stockpiles would be less than 2km from urban areas, and would radically increase the coal dust problem in Newcastle suburbs.
* More coal trains. almost 100 more coal train movements each day to deliver coal to T4. These trains would be uncovered, polluting towns and suburbs all through the Hunter with coal dust. These coal trains would also emit large volumes of diesel exhaust – a proven carcinogen – into urban environments.
* More coal mines. You can't double coal exports without doubling coal mining. If T4 goes ahead, it would need about 22 average sized coal mines to supply the coal. Communities, waterways, farmland and bushland are already being ripped apart by coal mines. If T4 goes ahead, it will get a lot worse.
* Lost biodiversity. The proposed T4 site is part of the globally important Hunter Estuary, and shares a border with the Hunter Wetlands National Park. 21 threatened species are known to use the site. T4 would destroy critical habitat for globally migrating bird species, and could mean the regional extinction of the Green and Golden Bell Frog.
* More global warming. Global warming is happening faster than scientists ever thought possible, and coal is one of the main causes. The greenhouse pollution from coal shipped from T4, if it goes ahead, would be more than 300 million tonnes per year. That is more than every power station and every vehicle in Australia combined.
The rally and parade is being organised by the Coal Terminal Action Group, an alliance of 17 community groups: Barrington Gloucester Stroud Preservation Alliance; Climate Action Newcastle; Correct Planning and Consultation for Mayfield Group; Gloucester Residents in Partnership; Green Corridor Coalition; Hunter Bird Observers Club; Hunter Communities Network; Hunter Community Environment Centre; Hunter Environment Lobby; National Parks Association Hunter Branch; Parks and Playground Movement; Rising Tide Newcastle; Singleton Healthy Environment Group; Stockton Community Action Group; Nature Conservation Council; The Wilderness Society; and Tighes Hill Community Group.