Anglesea heathlands - a coal mine for 50 years or protected forever?

The Victorian Government has given Alcoa the green light to continue mining the internationally significant Anglesea heathlands for another 50 years, a decision that could result in a doubling in size of the current mine and the loss of extremely rare native habitat. You can help stop this destruction by writing to both Alcoa and the Victorian Government asking them to come up with an alternative solution that will protect the Anglesea heathlands as part of the Great Otway National Park. The existing mine is the result of clearing 300ha of Anglesea heathlands to develop an open cut mine that helps power Alcoa's aluminium smelter at Pt Henry.

However, the Anglesea power station is the smallest coal-fired power station in Victoria and could be replaced with cleaner energy sources including renewables and natural gas.

The imminent introduction of the Federal Government's price on carbon places further future uncertainty around the use of coal as a long-term energy source.

 

What you can do

Please email or write to Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, his minister for planning Matthew Guy, and Alan Cransberg, Managing Director of Alcoa Australia, asking them to come up with a lease option that protects the Anglesea heathlands.

We have listed points you could make in your letter below. If sending your letter via email you can also use our simple letter writing tool.

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Points to make in your letter

• The Anglesea heathlands are listed on the Register of the National Estate for their biodiversity value, both in terms of the highly diverse flora and abundance of native wildlife.
• The heathlands protect more than 700 species of plants including over 100 different orchid species and is an ecological asset of international significance.
• Victoria currently generates 92% of its electricity by burning brown coal, so the State Government needs a plan to clean-up and diversify energy supply.

Any new lease signed by the Victorian Government with Alcoa must stipulate:

• If no renewable or natural gas energy options are immediately available, Alcoa is to utilise the existing coal mine site, digging deeper for coal, rather than destroying heathland to expand the current site.
• It should run for no more than 10 years unless alternative renewable energy sources can be found to power the smelter.
• The rest of the current lease site be immediately added to the Great Otway National Park and managed by Parks Victoria.
• No further heathland is destroyed.
• No sale or sub-lease of the coal mine area managed by Alcoa is permitted.
• Within the next 10 years Alcoa needs to investigate ways to secure at least 25% of its energy needs from renewable energy or natural gas and demonstrate that it is reducing emissions from energy use and production at the Pt Henry smelter.

 

Contacts

Premier Ted Baillieu
Office of the Premier, Level 1, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne, VIC 3000.
Email: ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au.

Hon Matthew Guy, Minister for Planning
Level 7, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne, VIC
Phone: (03) 9938 5990
Email: matthew.guy@parliament.vic.gov.au

Alan Cransberg, Managing Director of Alcoa Australia
PO Box 252, Applecross WA 6953
Phone: (08) 9316 5362
Email: vicky.mcgennisken@alcoa.com.au