A group of Brisbane grandparents occupied the South Brisbane headquarters of Queensland Labor for 10 hours on March 6. The Grandparents for the Galilee came prepared with food and bedding, vowing to stay until Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk signed a legal letter rejecting the proposed $1 billion loan to Adani.
Under the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Act, state governments can provide “written notification that financial assistance should not be provided to a project”. The Grandparents personally delivered a legal letter for Palaszczuk to sign and send to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility board.
Grandparents for the Galilee Miree Le Roy spokesperson said: “Queensland Labor has sold us out. They’re in bed with Adani, risking the Reef and the 70,000 jobs that rely on its health.
“Climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of our kids and grandkids. We're here to fight for their future. We're camping out in Queensland Labor headquarters until they stop $1 billion of our money being gambled on a company like Adani.”
Labor state secretary Evan Moorhead and Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan were called in to negotiate but the Grandparents refused to budge, demanding the Premier sign the letter to the NAIF board.
Queensland Labor was reluctant to call the police, given the media presence, but it did bring in security who blocked the Grandparents’ access to toilets and threatened to evict them. The occupation ended after 10 hours with the occupiers vowing to return soon.
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