KATE RASMUSSEN
Activist’s have successfully shut down two Commonwealth Bank branches in Brisbane’s CBD this week.
The Stop Adani Brisbane group peacefully occupied two offices in Queen and Adelaide St, forcing them to close for the day.
Protesters were calling on the Commonwealth Bank to agree not to fund any more fossil fuel projects in the future, including Adani’s new Carmichael mega mine.
Stop Adani Brisbane’s spokesperson, Peter Arndt, said, from their perpective, the protest was a success.
“The banks in Queen St and Adelaide St were both closed as a result of our action. We know that the Commonwealth Bank is listening, and we know it’s very sensitive to the message we are sending out to the community,” Mr Arndt said.
“The Westpac bank has ruled out funding Adani and a few of the other investments and we hope that we can be celebrating success again with the CommBank in the next few weeks.”
Stop Adani is concerned with the possible impact Adani’s Charmichel’s mega mine will have on the environment.
Mr Arndt said many members of the group say their primary reason for attending the protest is their concern for the future of their families, and other vulnerable nations like those in the Torres Strait.
“We are everyday Queenslanders with jobs and kids and grand kids and we are just really concerned about what is going to happen to the planet to the reef, to people in the pacific, to people in the Torres Strait,” Mr Arndt said
A statement issued by Commonwealth Bank in May said they are limiting their investments in non-renewable energy sources.
“As at December 2016, our lending to the renewable’s sector was $2.3 billion. This is approximately five times the amount of our lending to coal-fired power generation,” the statement by Commonwealth Bank said
Stop Adani say the organisation will continue their action against the Commonwealth Bank until an agreement is reached between both parties.