Sydney, Australia. At a sold out Summit of over 380 local volunteers campaigning to stop the Adani coal mine, veteran conservationist Bob Brown today urged the Federal and Queensland governments to rule out the controversial $1 billion loan of public money for the project, and launched a National Day of Action in early October.

The Bob Brown Foundation is one of 29 organisations to have joined the Stop Adani Alliance since its launch in March 2017, representing well over 2 million Australians. In just five months, more than 160 Stop Adani groups have sprung into action around the country, organising 662 local actions at MP’s offices, bank branches and community events.

Bob Brown said, “This week Adani signalled it would start work in October.  Adani should take note: Australians will not shy away from this battle; we plan to stop this ugly mine.

“People may say that a big mining company will always win the day, but I think of all the places that community campaigns have fought for and won over the years. The Franklin flows free. So does the Mary.  The Daintree stands tall.  Kakadu is free of any Jabiluka uranium mine and the Kimberley coast has no dirty great big gas plant at James Price Point.  Those community wins were hard fought and hard won - and we plan to win the fight to Stop Adani.

“We have already racked up two major wins, with community pressure leading both Westpac and CommBank to rule out funding Adani’s dirty mine.  Now the Stop Adani movement is setting our sights on the politicians who seem hell-bent on wasting $1 billion of public money on Adani’s disastrous plans for a coal mine.  

“This is shaping up to be the biggest issue at the next federal election.

“It makes no sense at all to use public money to fund a project that Traditional Owners oppose and which would damage our Reef and trash the climate.

“These Stop Adani Summits are galvanising the movement for the next stage of the campaign.

“Stay tuned for our next big action in early October.  Thousands of people right around the country will form massive Stop Adani human signs in a creative display of opposition - from Bondi Beach to the Whitsundays, and scores of places in between - we’ll send a Stop Adani message loud and clear”.

Maggie McKeown, Stop Adani Organiser for the Mackay Conservation Group, also at the Sydney Summit, said, “No matter where we live, Australians love their Reef and have an interest in fighting for a safe climate for future generations.  

“It’s outrageous that the Federal Government is planning to use taxpayer funds to get this disastrous project off the ground. The latest polling shows three quarters of Australians do not want this loan to go ahead and believe Adani should fund their own infrastructure”.