Greenpeace has questions to answer

3 JULY 2015: Tomorrow's visit by professional eco-terrorist group Greenpeace will be an opportunity for the activists to explain their position that jobs for North Queenslanders don’t matter. Greenpeace's previous visit to Hay Point cost millions of dollars, not only to the terminal but to contractors who were denied the opportunity to go to work. In a region that is so heavily dependent on mining, the success of any pending eco-terrorist attack can determine whether or not there will be food on the table. Greenpeace may have a few extreme green mates pleased to see them in our waters but they shouldn’t expect any red carpet to be rolled out by families’ whose jobs are threatened by Greenpeace activities.In August 2009, Greenpeace activists shut down the Hay Point Coal Terminal near Mackay costing BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance about $13 million and Queensland taxpayers about $1 million in royalties. The terminal was shut for more than 36 hours as activists climbed coal loading equipment and blockaded the port with their largest ship, the 72m diesel vessel Esperanza, which had entered the waters illegally. Four activists chained themselves to the terminal and dangled 50m above the ground.Tomorrow’s visit will allow Greenpeace to address all the people who are out of work in this region and explain why Greenpeace is trying to kill projects that would create tens of thousands of jobs. They can tell those people why they want to shut down mining, why they don’t want rail line construction, why they don’t want port development, and why they trashed the global reputation of the reef and our tourism industry. They can then confess that shutting down the Australian mining industry and killing Australian jobs will only push those operations and jobs offshore to benefit a country that doesn’t fall for their lies and misinformation.