By Gary Corbett & Brenton Waters

THE Scenic Rim community has been issued with a ‘call to arms’ to fight the threat posed by open cut coal mines and coal gas seam mining in the region.

The call from local politicians, environmentalists and academics comes as anxiety spreads that coal mining in the region is a done deal.

In an attempt to get as many people as possible behind the ‘no coal mining for the Scenic Rim’ fight, an impromptu public meeting in Beaudesert on Monday saw several prominent local identities led by the Beaudesert MP Aidan McLindon and Greens candidate Andrew Grodecki call for a united stance against the coal mining industry.

The meeting, which snowballed from an initial photo shoot and interview organised by the Beaudesert Times with Mr McLindon, Mr Grodecki and a handful of anti-coal mining activists, ended up in a rally attended by an estimated 100 to 150 people after details of the get together were posted on Facebook, Twitter, through email networks and on various websites.

Mr McLindon was pleased with the response and said he hoped the community could use the groundswell of support to mount a campaign against coal mining in the Scenic Rim.

“The Scenic Rim is now the second fastest growing region in Queensland and if we do not stand up and take action (against the coal mining industry), it will be doomed,” he said.

“This is not going to happen on my watch, but we have to do it in numbers, we need community support to make a difference.

“There is a time and place for mining, but that is not in the Scenic Rim. It is the Scenic Rim, we do not want it to become the Scenic Bin.

“The reality is that the ALP and the LNP want to turn this area into the Scenic Bin, and I won’t let that happen.”

Mr McLindon said open cut coal mining and the proliferation of coal seam gas activity in the Scenic Rim would harm the local tourism and agriculture industries as well as destroy the lifestyle enjoyed by local residents.

Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic spokesman Innes Larkin said there was an ever-growing level of fury in the community about the threat coal mining posed.

He said there was definitely a strong resolve among more and more local residents to fight against multi-national coal mining companies.

“We know it’s not a short term fight, we know there is legislation to be changed and that there are elections to be gone through,” he said.

“But nobody in any way wants coal mining, coal seam gas production or coal gas pipelines in any part of the Scenic Rim.

“There is no doubt more and more people are waking up and taking notice of the threat posed by coal miners.”

Mr McLindon said the government would not move to stop mining in the Scenic Rim without community pressure.

He said the government saw mining as a cash cow that would help it pay off its spiralling debt.

“We have seen it before. Our system of government is reactive, it is not proactive.

“That is why the community must stand up and prevent this from happening in the first place, we need to collectively say ‘the Scenic Rim is a no go zone for open cut coal mining and coal seam gas mining’.”

Mr McLindon has called on property owners to put stickers on their properties and cars to show their support for stopping mining in the Scenic Rim.

The stickers are available from Mr McLindon’s office.