Sand mining will continue on North Stradbroke Island despite protests from traditional owners and conservationists over the threat to delicate wetlands and aquifers.

The Queensland Premier has pledged to continue allowing the mining of sand from the island off Brisbane, with possible plans to extend permission to 2035.

The Premier made the claim in response to a report with argued for more federal environmental laws to be imposed. Quandamooka traditional owners, Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) representatives, and North Stradbroke residents gathered on the island to display an enormous banner calling on political parties to “Stand up for Straddie”.

ACF chief Don Henry says the mine is hindering the flow of water to the nearby 18 Mile Swamp wetlands.

The report commissioned by the Friends of Stradbroke Island has suggested the activities and potential threats of the Enterprise Sand Mine are of National Environmental Significance, and therefore should be regulated by federal environmental laws, not state laws.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says: “During the state election campaign people voted very, very strongly on Stradbroke Island for mining to continue.”

Stradbroke Island resident Jan Aldenhoven says it is time to think of the island’s future beyond a handful of years; “The silica mine is closing - it's uneconomical... Yarraman mine is running out of minerals and will finish in 2015... the island's special environment is far more valuable for its long-term potential than being sacrificed now for the short-term profits of a foreign-owned mining company.”