REEF NEWS: We’re taking this to court GET-UP

GetUp!	8:23 PM (40 minutes ago)
to me

“This is nothing short of miraculous. We are overwhelmed by the determination of GetUp supporters!” – Environmental Defenders’ Office (EDO) Queensland Solicitor Jo Bragg.

NEVILLE,

They must have assumed they’d had the final word.

When Greg Hunt and the Marine Park Authority approved dumping of five million tonnes of seabed inside Reef waters, it was supposed to be campaign over. Vested interests had won, and our Reef would be sold out for short-term profits.

Instead, something incredible happened. Thousands of GetUp members put their own money forward to launch a citizens’ Reef Fighting Fund. We’ve never seen anything quite like it.

All up, more than 16,000 people have donated so EDO Queensland and North Queensland Conservation Council can take this fight to the courts. Together, we’re contributing $130,000 to the legal case right off the bat – $50,000 more than our original target! GetUp members have also ensured we have the resources to fund a strong ongoing campaign that won’t shy away from other hard-hitting legal, legislative and corporate tactics.

Thank you to everyone who’s made this possible.

We all know how prolonged and expensive legal fights can be. To their enormous credit, EDO Queensland and North Queensland Conservation Council had been prepared to pull together a case on a barebones budget. Now, it’s a very different story.

“Now there is money for expert witnesses, court transcripts, barristers’ fees and transport costs. We can be bigger, better and more ambitious with the court case to protect the Reef. This is nothing short of miraculous. We are overwhelmed by the determination of GetUp supporters!” – Jo Bragg, EDO Queensland Solicitor.

No matter what happens in court, we’ve sent a very uncomfortable ripple through the legions of power and vested interests used to getting their way. Thousands of everyday Australians are making it possible to go toe-to-toe with big mining, and together we will do everything in our power to protect our Reef.

There’s so much further to go with this campaign, so we’ll be in touch soon. But for now, thank you.

The GetUp team

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