Indian conglomerate Adani’s controversial Carmichael coal mine in the northern Australian state of Queensland is a step closer after the conservative Liberal-National federal government approved a groundwater management plan.
Reuters Newsagency reports the federal environment minister had given the green light to the groundwater plan for Adani’s controversial mine, taking it a step closer to operation.
The decision drew strong reaction from groups opposed to the mine and a rebuttal from the opposition Labor Party.
Science agencies CSIRO and Geoscience Australia had confirmed the company’s revised plans met strict scientific requirements, the minister, Melissa Price, who had been under considerable pressure to grant the approval, said today.
The miner still required nine more environmental plan approvals for the coalmine to go ahead, Ms Price said.
“Following this independent assessment and the Department of Environment and Energy’s recommendation for approval, I have accepted the scientific advice and therefore approved the groundwater management plans for the Carmichael coal mine and rail Infrastructure project under Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,” she said in a statement reports by AAP Newsagency.
This decision does not mean the project has final approval.
Further approvals are needed from the Queensland state Labor government prior to construction starting.
“To date, only 16 of 25 environmental plans have been finalised or approved by the commonwealth and Queensland governments with a further nine to be finalised,” Ms Price said.
“It must meet further stringent conditions of approval from the commonwealth before it can begin producing coal.”
She said the company had accepted a number of actions including better monitoring of the Doongmabulla Springs, tighter corrective action triggers if there are any groundwater impacts and more scientific modelling within two years of the start of mining.
The federal government was not providing any financial support to the mine or to its rail project, she said.
Queensland federal LNP MPs have been agitating for the minister to make her decision before Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls a federal election, expected to be held on May 18.
Mr Morrison told reporters today the decision would be made by “ministers listening to scientists, not senators listening to themselves”.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan earlier attended a shed meeting in central Queensland with Dawson electorate MP George Christensen to reiterate the government’s support for coal mining.
“This isn’t just about one project or one mine, the Labor party wants to get rid of all coal mines and all coal mining jobs,” Senator Canavan said in a statement afterwards.
“The Liberal-Nationals coalition government backs Queensland resources workers and Queensland’s coal mining communities.”
Anti-Adani protesters disrupted a business lunch speech by Mr Morrison in Brisbane on Monday.
Labor leader Bill Shorten said the environment minister was being bullied in what he described as a “failure of ethics in government at the highest level”.
Mr Shorten said in government he would be guided by the “best science and the law of the land” on the Adani approvals but no taxpayer money would go to the project.
Oxfam Australia Climate Change Adviser Dr Simon Bradshaw said: “The federal government approval, a major hurdle that brings the disastrous Adani coal mine a step closer to reality, is a reckless and shameful decision made just days before the election is to be called.
“We are urging Labor to commit to stopping this disaster should it win government.”
The indigenous Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council, which has been fighting against the mine in Australia’s courts, said the decision by Ms Price to approve Adani’s groundwater plan had been made under intense political pressure.
“The Family Council believes the environmental approvals process has been corrupted and the science has not been properly followed, placing out country and cultural heritage at extreme risk.
“We call on the Labor opposition to commit to review all federal environmental approvals for Adani, given the extreme level of political interference in this decision and the outstanding scientific questions about the impact of Adani’s mine on our water.”
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