So, you want to save the world? It's a quick and easy thing to do to write to a politician. Anyone can do it and it doesn't have to involve chaining yourself to anything or getting arrested if that's not your thing. Sure, they might not read any of your letters, but if they get 2000 letters, they tend to pay attention. The department and ministerial staff will read them in any case, or at least skim some of them. So, the more interesting and snappy you can make it, the more likely it will be noticed by someone.
For example, in response to this call out to write to politicians I penned a short missive to a few of 'em on the subject of bulldozing going on in a state forest to clear land for a coal mine (sigh).
Dear Minister
I am writing to request you to urgently stop the illegal clearing of forest at Maules Creek. Even if you don't care about environmental considerations, which are huge, stop for a minute and have a think about some other issues that may/should concern you.
1. Economic: the price of coal is dropping like a stone. Proposed coal projects are being abandoned every day and mining companies are going belly up because they are decreasingly financially viable. The public 'divest' movement is seeing more and more money taken out of coal globally. Slowing demand in China and rising renewable energy production all over the world will only increase the slide on the coal price and it's not ever going to come back. Despite what industry lobbyists might tell you, that the good times are just around the corner, they aren't. Coal is over. They just don't know it yet. So, as a government NSW will be left with a giant hole in the ground when Whitehaven goes into receivership and you will have lost a beautiful and irreplaceable national park in the process. Is this a responsible way for a government to behave? Is this what we think of as 'planning'? Ask yourself how the voters will view the billion dollar bill for the cleanup.
Supporting renewable energy projects ahead of mining projects would create good, clean, Australian, high tech jobs, many of them in remote areas, and would create and keep value in this country. We could create a hugely profitable industry that could see us exporting technology to the world, instead of increasingly unpopular and unprofitable fossil fuels.
2. Legal: Are you 110% sure that the permit process for this mine is all completely above board? Are you confident that this mining lease will not end up in ICAC for review? Have you double checked that every single T has been crossed and i dotted in the planning application process? I would call a halt until this is done if I were you. Just sayin'.
3. Media: This project has already attracted a lot of media interest because of the ANZ Whitehaven hoax, which highlighted the lack of consultation and lack of proper process. Currently hundreds of civilian protectors [sic] are making their way to the forest to fortify the blockade and thousands of new supporters are joining on-line. You will find yourself with another situation on your hands similar to the recent Bentley action. It's a very bad look to send publicly funded riot police into an area to attack civilians, spending tax payers money to protect the profits of a private corporation in order to destroy the last remaining forest of its type in the world. How do you justify that use of public funds when the public is trying to defend a public asset from private interests?
4. Politics: ICAC has been uncovering a tangled web of corruption, greed and lack of proper government oversight (to say the least) in terms of its dealings with the mining industry. Do you think it would be a good look for your government to get embroiled in any more of this kind of thing on your watch? The Liberal Party is deeply unpopular with the public at the moment because of their cavalier attitude towards the people in favour of big business. Is now the time to start a battle on yet another front with the citizens of NSW?
Have a think about it. I know you will do the sensible thing and call a halt to this project before it goes any further. For now, at least stop the bulldozers!
Sincerely,
Miriam Robinson
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