Stop Adani protestors in mermaid outfits cost Labor the election

Bob Brown and the Australian Greens believed they had found their new Franklin River - and a way to decide Australia's federal election and demonise coal forever.

The successful fight to stop the Franklin River dam in Tasmania in 1982 is widely seen as kick-starting the environment movement in Australia.

Almost three decades on, Brown and his greenie pals believed a 2,000km convoy into Queensland's coal heartland would be a similar watershed moment.

But the wilderness of Tasmania's south-west is a far different proposition to marching through proud coal mining communities of central Queensland - many suffering from unemployment rates of 15 per cent.

When the convoy entered their towns, locals turned out in droves to tell the greenies to go home - and then waited to make their fury felt at the ballot box.

The reactions on the locals' faces shows exactly why Labor - which refused to give as straight answer about the Adani coal mine as they courted Green votes in the inner suburbs - was left without a single seat north of Brisbane.   

Anti-Adani protestors who travelled throughout Queensland in an effort to encourage locals to support Labor or The Greens (pictured) had have actually turned voters towards the Coalition

Anti-Adani protestors who travelled throughout Queensland in an effort to encourage locals to support Labor or The Greens (pictured) had have actually turned voters towards the Coalition

The proposed Adani coal mine in regional Queensland is set to bring thousadns of new jobs to the region. With many small towns in north-east Australia battling unemployment, the prospect of a big new project is

The proposed Adani coal mine in regional Queensland is set to bring thousadns of new jobs to the region. With many small towns in north-east Australia battling unemployment, the prospect of a big new project is 

Debbie, a voter from central Queensland, told Triple J's Hack program post-election that there was much more to Adani than whether it was good or bad for the climate.

'It was a struggle for us in central Queensland and I'd actually like to let people know that we do care about the environment, (but) it's not always an easy choice' she said.

'Some policies are so extreme with no real plan or solution for replacing coal as an export.

'We're talking about people with families and mortgages and it (mining) is their livelihood. 

'A lot of the hype and the marches about hating coal and how bad coal is, when a lot of even my direct family are involved – even indirectly - with the coal industry (mean) it's not an easy choice to vote for extreme changes.' 

Mr Brown's convoy began its tour throughout Queensland's coal country on April 23, with the ex-Greens leader saying

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