Shoalwater bay

About Us

SWAG is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment and fostering peace in the Capricorn region.

SWAG has been active in the last few years responding to developments in Shoalwater Bay and leading local resistance to an increasingly militaristic government and culture.

It has helped raise awareness about depleted uranium (DU),
threats to the local water supply and
the co-option of the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area (SWMTA) in the ‘war against terror’.

SWAG has been involved in

concerts,
film nights,
information sessions,
letter writing campaigns,
political lobbying and
direct protest actions.

SWAG welcomes contributions to this website which further peace, social justice and care for the environment.

Major points of Concern:

Shoalwater Bay Area includes the Military Training Area, National Park and the Byfield Forest - the largest wilderness area on the East Coast south of the Daintree.

Shoalwater Military Training Area (SWMTA) is inside the Great Barrier Reef National Park with high explosive areas inside Conservation Zones.

The Australian Government has entered into long term secret agreements with the USA, allowing vastly expanded military exercises, secret weapons testing, and storage and transport of toxic and radioactive weaponry.

The majority of live firing ground exercises occur within Livingstone Shire’s water supply. The High Impact Bombing ranges are close to those water catchments. The army’s major facility, Samuel Hill, is on the banks of Waterpark Creek’s tributaries, Yeppoon’s water supply, only 1km from the Byfield boundary.

The requirement for Environmental Impact Statements during military exercises has been removed since the USA was given expanded rights. No Testing for military toxins in Livingstone shire's water are done before, during or after exercises.

The Aust. Defence Force claims it does not know in which training area it used its most dangerous radioactive Depleted Uranium Weapons.

The USA military is guilty of massive toxic pollution in every base and training area in dozens of countries worldwide. No clean up has ever been done.

The USA military has been evicted from all its major training ares after massive pollution, public safety, and heath violations. Shoalwater Bay has been given to the USA to replace them. There are no treaty requirements for the USA to repair or compensate for any damage to the area.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) gets substantial income from renting SWBTA to foreign defence forces, and although SWBTA occupies nearly half Livingstone shire yet pays no rates.

The Military provides no funding to Livingstone Shire Council for;

Testing the water, soil and air quality during exercises.
Training emergency personal for military accidents or nuclear disasters.

OUR AIMS & DEMANDS

SWAG calls for:

An immediate end to bombardment of marine environments
Recognition of World Heritage status
Revoke secret agreements with the US pertaining to the SBMTA
No nuclear powered, nuclear-armed warships in SWB
Restore the accepted due process of EIS
Testing of the area’s water, soil and air quality for signs of DU and other industrial toxic wastes
Release of information from recent testing
Testing of local people (fishermen) with Parkinson’s disease for signs of DU contamination
End the testing of weapons in SWB
An end to live firing in water catchment areas
And end to the production of industrial pollution and toxic waste through military activities.
Repair the damage to Freshwater beach caused by the deliberate explosion of the dunes in order to drain the swamp (circa 1970).
No Joint Combined Training Facility
An end to use of the SWBMTA by troops of foreign nations
Reopen the Commission of Inquiry into Shoalwater Bay
An inquiry into the use of DU in Australian territory
An inquiry into possible environmentally friendly uses of the area (ecotourism, archive of biodiversity, water supply, etc)