Economic cost of War Games goes beyond local business

Media Release:

This week Rockhampton Regional Development are boasting the profits they will make over the Talisman-Sabre 07 war games.  However, the true costs of these war games may overshadow the short term economic benefit some local business people expect.  Those costs include the risk to the environment, local health and safety and the long term international reputation of Australia.

Peace convergence organiser and spokesperson for the Shoalwater Wilderness Awareness Group, Steve Bishopric says, “While some business people are boasting of ‘filled coffers’ from the US presence in the Capricornia region we need to remember that less quantifiable costs come from this military incursion in our region.

Mr Bishopric continues, “The natural values and the tourism that our region attracts is of greater value than any dubious relationship with the US military. We need to protect our special areas, not allow the military to exploit it and risk our priceless environment. In Vieques for instance, US naval presence has ruined their economy, because of the damage their ships have done to fishing grounds and the poison left in their land and water.  We don’t want to see whales floating belly up and fish breeding grounds decimated because of  military presence.”

Kim Stewart, speaking for Friends of the Earth Brisbane says, “The US military are the world’s biggest industrial polluters.  Perchlorate rocket fuel from their weapons contaminates the groundwater in 20 US states, to name just one common pollutant.  US bases expose local communities to noise, low flying craft, increased crime and sexual assault, and compromise overall safety. The US military have not compensated one community they have contaminated and their mess remains in locations all over the world.  Even when they were last in Australia for TS05, their shipboard waste was washing up on Queensland beaches.”

Treena Lenthall from the Peace Convergence collective adds, “Our joint excercises with the US military effects our relationship with international neighbours, damaging out reputation by association. It marks us as a collaborator in their misguided wars, implicates us in the deaths of 655,000 or more Iraqis and over 3,000 troops. Now that’s not an easily quantifiable cost.”

Media contacts:
Steve Bishopric, Shoalwater Wilderness Awareness Group 0439 745 442
Kim Stewart, Friends of the Earth Brisbane 0413 397 839
Treena Lenthall, Peace Convergence  0432 563 967