Greyhound Australia is the latest to join the growing list of companies refusing to work with Adani on its Carmichael coal mine in Central Queensland, after a targeted campaign by Stop Adani activists.
Greyhound told its workers in early January that it had been contracted to transport workers for Adaniβs rail project, which will link the mine to Abbot Point Port. When news of the contract went public, the response from environmentalists was immediate.
Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation announced it was cutting ties with the company and Greyhound CEO Alex De Waal was forced to resign as foundation chair. Greyhound transports thousands of tourists to the Great Barrier Reef every year.
Greyhound released a statement on January 28 saying: βFollowing considered deliberation, and in the best interests of our staff, customers, and partners, Greyhound Australia has decided to not enter into a contractual agreement β¦ to service construction of the Carmichael Rail Network beyond our preliminary 31 March 2020 commitment.β
Following the statement, Varsha Yajman, a spokesperson for School Strike 4 Climate which had launched a campaign to boycott Greyhound, said: βWe thank Greyhound for not throwing young people under a bus by continuing to help Adani build their climate-wrecking coalmine.β
After a summer of βbushfires and heatwavesβ, Yajman said, Greyhoundβs decision had given her hope. βIt shows that we can push companies to be part of the solution to climate change and consider the impact of their actions.
Climate activist group Galilee Blockade said it is cancelling planned protests targeting Greyhound Australia.
Galilee Blockade spokesperson Ben Pennings said: βGreyhound took a stupid risk but quickly saw sense. Most Australians donβt want the Adani mineβ¦
βWeβre already experiencing climate chaos and corporations simply have to take heed of an angry public increasingly willing to risk legal sanction for a liveable climate.β