Environment Minister admits sandmining causes permanent and irreversible damage to North Stradbroke Island

On the 8th Feburary 2012, Queensland Environment Minster Vicky Darling publicly conceded on 612 ABC radio that ongoing sandmining on North Stradbroke Island will irreversibly degrade and threaten the natural environment. It is current ALP policy to allow destructive sandmining on NSI to continue for another 14 years.

The Minister also nominated North Stradbroke Island as one of three key environmental issues in the lead up to the election.

When challenged several times by radio presenter Steve Austin to defend the Minster’s previous claim that sites subjected to sandmining can be rehabilitated, the Minister consistently admitted that the natural ecosystems cannot be rehabilitated. The Minister stated sites mined can only be ‘revegetated’ and said:

“I don’t know that the sites will ever be exactly the same.”

The Minister suggested that ‘maybe in 30 years‘, after mining an assessment could be done to see if rehabilitation even worked.

In the past, the Minister attempted to mislead the public by claiming areas subjected to sandmining can be rehabilitated.