Withdraw Nickel Refinery’s Licence for Illegally Dumping Toxic Waste in the Great Barrier Reef

  • by: Judith B.
  • recipient: Andrew Powell, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia

The Coalition’s stream of industry-friendly policies have put the Great Barrier Reef under tremendous pressure, with the reef being used as a handy dumping ground for all sorts of waste.

Much of this devastation, notably the astoundingly ill-conceived Abbott Point coal terminal, has come with the complete approval and warm wishes of the government. In fact, it’s often been the Coalition’s pet projects killing the reef, but even when industry is acting illegally, absolutely nothing is being done.

Queen’s Nickel refinery at Yabula, owned by the notorious Clive Palmer, was found to have discharged hundreds of tons of nitrogen into the area, despite being told not to. This is equivalent to dumping the untreated sewage of an entire city, and devastating to such a fragile habitat.

Despite the refinery’s flagrant disregard for the environment and the law, the Queensland Department for the Environment has renewed its licence for another three years.

The reef is dying. Abbott’s industry pals are rapidly hastening its departure, and, in this case, breaking the law to do so. This locust-like destruction has got to stop. Tell the environment minister to withdraw the refinery’s licence immediately.

We the undersigned ask that you withdraw the licence for the Queen’s Nickel refinery on the grounds of gross environmental transgressions. The refinery has been found to have been illegally dumping hundreds of tons of nitrogen into the Great Barrier Reef, an environmental crime of immense proportions.


Just because industry has money and power does not mean it should be allowed to ruin our natural heritage whenever it likes. This situation is beyond ridiculous and the refinery most certainly should not be allowed to continue operating after such flagrant disregard for the environment and the law.


Please suspend its operations immediately.


Thank you for your attention.

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.