loading

    1. ○
    2. ○

    1. ○
    2. ○

Mater Coal Campaign

The Mater Hospital South Brisbane (Mater Hospital) is one of Brisbane’s first and oldest hospitals. The Mater Hospital opened on the 8th August 1910 and has served Brisbane’s residents and Queenslanders, providing world class health care services. However, since this time or at least from 1930, the Mater Hospital burns coal for energy, and continues to do so today.

In the year 2021-2022 the Mater Hospital released 13,100 tonnes Scope 1 (t CO2-e) of climate wrecking carbon pollution into the atmosphere. Friends of the Earth believes 96 plus years of burning coal and polluting the environment is long enough, and its time to shut the coal burner down.

The Mater Hospital’s dirty energy supply also releases poisonous airborne contaminants into the local air-shed, including the very close suburbs such as: South Brisbane, West End, Highgate Hill, Woolloongabba, Dutton Park, East Brisbane and beyond.

The Mater Hospital is located in the densely populated Brisbane suburb of South Brisbane, which is home to three prominent schools and the South Bank education precinct that includes Griffith University and Brisbane TAFE. The Mater Hospital’s coal stack is located roughly:

  • 150 metres - St Laurence (boys school)
  • 460 metres - Summerville House (girls school)
  • 1050 metres - Brisbane State High School
  • 600 metres – Griffith University

Historically, the Mater Hospital's coal was shipped down the Brisbane River from Ipswich, where coal barges would dock at the South Brisbane Coal Wharves (now top of South Bank). In more recent years coal is trucked from mines in the Western Downs district/s into the hospitals southern entrance.

The Mater Hospital is owned by Mater Misericordiae ltd and since 2008 holds the current Environmental Authority, issued by the Queensland Government, to burn coal and diesel at the site. Although the Mater Misericordiae ltd is a multi million dollar organisation it only sources 20% of its energy needs from renewable providers.

Mater Coal Pollution Stack with St Laurence College

Google Earth

 

South Brisbane Coal Wharves

Poulsen, Poul C. (1894)

Source: https://digitalcollections.qut.edu.au/2079/

 

Map displaying coal burner facility

Mater Hospital, c1930

Source: https://www.qhatlas.com.au/map/mater-hospital-c1930