Former Labor minister Peter Garrett was warmly welcomed by locals of Byron Bay last night as he spruiked his newly-release memoir Big Blue Sky.
The former Midnight Oil frontman, who is considering reforming the popular politically-charged band of the 80s and 90s, talked with author David Leser at the Writers Centre, Byron Theatre, about his early life, music, activism and life after politics.
He said he had always considered writing a memoir before entering politics. He has described Big Blue Sky as something of ’an ode to Sydney’”.
The 62-year-old says he will always be an activist and would like now to get more involved in indigenous affairs.
Big Blue Sky, published by Allen & Unwin, is out now.
I read the part of Peter Garretts book about his decision to grant approval for the extension to the Beverly Uranium Mine, known as 4 mile . In fact it was an approval for a virtually new mine operation on a significant Aboriginal site which the miners subsequently destroyed beyond recognition.
His most difficult decision as a Minister, apparently. Not only was the decision reprehensible but he failed to disclose in his book that he approved that all the radio active waste water from the insitu mining be disposed of into the aquifer underneath the Beverley mine site and into the Great Artesian Basin.
He claims that if he did not approve the mine the developers would have taken the Government to Court. He did not have the courage to take the no approval option then to go to the back bench. In fact I did take Garrett to Court over the decision but was eventually [convinced] to withdraw the Application. I am afraid that Peter’s book on this subject is a little piece of history rewritten with some political spin.
Peter Garrett to me has been one of the greatest disappointments of any person in my lifetime entering politics. People have suffered and been seriously injured protesting over Beverley only to see Peter just allow these nuclear vandals to completely pollute and destroy sacred land. Call it Blue Sky Lying be better and more accurate title for his book.