It has been revealed that the head of corporate affairs for a mining company at the centre of an environmental dispute has been in charge of developing policy on the environment for Queensland’s ruling Liberal National Party (LNP) since 2012.
ABC TV has revealed that James Mackay also worked full-time for the conservative LNP during the 2012 election, while he was being paid $10,000 a month by the company, QCoal.
QCoal is involved in controversy over plans to divert the Coral Creek waterway in north Queensland to mine the coal underneath.
The company’s owner, reclusive billionaire Chris Wallin, is one of the LNP’s biggest donors.
ABC TV’s 7.30 current affairs program revealed last week that farmer Garry Reed faces financial ruin after losing a legal battle to stop the creek diversion and having costs awarded against him.
The LNP state government approved the diversion without requiring a new or amended environmental impact assessment, despite it being classed as an assessment that carried “risk of serious harm”.
ABC reports Mr Mackay has chaired the LNP’s state environment and heritage protection committee, which develops policy for discussion at the party’s annual conference, since being voted on to the committee in 2012.
Shortly after coming to power in 2012 the LNP introduced a bill to remove so-called “green tape” or what it considered to be unnecessary or superfluous environmental regulation.
The Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said at the time that the state was “in the coal business” and if people wanted new schools and hospitals they had to accept that the state needed royalties from coal mining.
ABC TV reports QCoal owner Mr Wallin gave $120,000 to the party in two donations just before the 2012 state election.
One of those donations was for the loan of Mr Mackay to the LNP between January and March 2012.
A funding disclosure to the Australian Electoral Commission shows QCoal described the $30,750 donation to the LNP on March 23, 2012, as “an administrative staff member donated in kind”.
A spokesman for the LNP has said Mr Mackay’s role involved ensuring that the party met disclosure requirements for donations.
ABC TV reports information shows Mr Mackay’s started work as corporate affairs manager for QCoal at the same time as he began his three-months at the LNP, a role he described as “campaign finance director”.
He is shown in ministerial diaries as having represented QCoal at a “QForum luncheon” on February 19 this year.
QForum is a fund-raising venture for the LNP at which attendees pay thousands of dollars to the party to mix with government ministers or their guest speakers.
The diary for Energy and Water Minister Mark McArdle shows he met Mr Mackay on March 22 last year “to discuss QCoal”. The diary provided no other details.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Water Supply said: “It was a general discussion about QCoal.
Adding that; “Mining developments do not fall under the Minister’s portfolio responsibilities”.
ABC TV reports QCoal did not respond to detailed questions about its links to the LNP or Mr Mackay’s role working for the party, citing employee privacy, and Mr Mackay did not return a call seeking comment.
The LNP spokesman said there was “no conflict of interest involving Mr Mackay, who has disclosed his employment with his company”.
QCoal won a water licence from the state government to divert Coral Creek to extend the life of its Sonoma mine by six to eight months.
An expert working for Mr Reed, Dr Scott Rayburg of Victoria’s Swinburne University, has warned of environmental risks lasting for “several human lifetimes”.
However, the Queensland Land Court rejected much of Dr Rayburg’s evidence because he is not a registered engineer in the state.
Mr Reed argues the diversion risks damaging rare remnant vegetation and the aquifer beneath Coral Creek, on which he relies for half his water.
The LNP government is set to introduce changes to the rules on political donations to that would remove upper limits and raise the threshold for the disclosure of individual gifts.
