WAYNE Swan has labelled "deplorable" a full-page advertisement taken out in Asian newspapers by environmental groups urging readers not to invest in Australia.

The ad in the Asian Financial Times headed "Don't sink your profits into the Great Barrier Reef" warns that the expansion of the coal-mining industry leading to more coal ships travelling through the reef is opposed by most Australians.

"I think that's deplorable and it should be condemned, and I do condemn it in the strongest possible terms," said the Treasurer.

"The government is committed to responding to the resources industry, which is why we are also determined to put in place strict environmental safeguards.

"We've had to pull the Queensland government into line on that question this week, we certainly don't need to see this sort of obnoxious behaviour from Greenpeace."

The ad is co-sponsored by Greenpeace, Banktrack and GetUp! Australia and is authorised by GetUp! director Simon Sheikh.

The advertisement comes at the end of a week in which the Queensland and federal governments were at loggerheads over whether there had been a proper environmental assessment of the $6.2 billion Alpha Coal project, which is 80 per cent owned by Indian company GVK and the rest by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Coal.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/wayne-swan-slams-greenpeace-adv...

Its not good. You dont have to be a "greenie" to not want the reef destroyed. Why dont the miners just go around it? They have trains.

SOB

woody seems to change his mind with the wind on Greenpeace.

Greenpeace have also openly criticised the "deplorable and dangerous" actions of Sea Shepherd and how "Greenpeace in no way support the violence on the high seas perpetrated by Mr Watson".

Our mate Martin was quite upset about that.
Now he likes them....

Kiwis eh?

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jun 8^th, 2012 at 3:58pm:


So you don't support the tourist industry which is in itself a billion dollar industry and will last a lot longer than the coal industry. Do you think long term at all? Do you think at all?

Pretty hypocritical to implement the "carbon tax" and destroy the reef @ the same time.

SOB

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Jun 8^th, 2012 at 4:08pm:




so it is all about MONEY... LOL.. might have guessed..

me I am in favor of saving the reef.. not for me not for bloody tourists not for shipping.. but for the animals that live and breath there.. it was there long before me.  would like it to be there long after me.. and I would like these creatures to be there long after me as well.

but save it  for money!!!!! how gross is that?

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jun 8^th, 2012 at 4:22pm:




andrei you dont have to be public school or Einstein to discuss something like this.. and you dont need to be rude either..

everyone is entitled to their opinion..

if we sat back and let big business walk all over us.. you wouldnt like that either..

we should be asked its Australia heritage after all.


what the answer is I dont pretend to know..

but I am sick of anyone that has a point of view being put down on this forum.. for having it.


disagree by all means but stop being patronising

Whilst I believe in AGW I'm finding it harder & harder to continue to advocate for the CT.
WE are exporting more & more of the apparent cause, our whole economy is based on it.