The likes of Tash Sultana, John Butler and Michael Franti have held an onstage protest against a proposed Adani coal mine in Central Queensland at Bluesfest in Byron Bay.
During John Butler Trio’s set at the festival on Sunday, 1st April, the group’s frontman called other artists to join him onstage — including the likes of Mia Dyson, The Teskey Brothers and The Hussy Hicks — to unveil a banner which read “Stop Adani: Coral Not Coal”.
“Coal has had its time. We need to give renewables everything we’ve got now,” Butler told the crowd, as The Music reports.
“We must stop this mine. If we allow Adani to go ahead, the mine will not only be the one of the world’s largest, it will be one of our generation’s greatest regrets. We owe it our children, and their children’s children, to make sure this environmentally reckless mine never sees the light of day.”
Musician Adrian Burragubba, a traditional owner of the proposed Adani site, also warned of the mine’s potential environmental impacts, saying, “We will continue to fight because we are responsible for those who cannot speak for themselves — the environment.
“The environment is so fragile that if the mine was to progress and go ahead, it would devastate the whole of Queensland. It is our responsibility to turn against this fossil fuel industry.”
The proposed Carmichael coal mine has courted controversy over its predicted impact on the local environment, including the nearby Great Barrier Reef.
Watch crowd-shot footage of John Butler’s Bluesfest protest, below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhCyrK3lZu5/?tagged=stopadani
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhDPD92gM1V/?tagged=stopadani
