Drought-ravaged farmers say Adani mine’s unlimited water license will ‘destroy our livelihoods’

THE Indian company behind the Adani mine says it will bring thousands of jobs to Queensland, but there is one big issue.

UP until three years ago in the outback Queensland town of Longreach, thousands of cattle were sold at the town’s saleyards weekly.

Now, as the region enters in its fifth year of an increasingly crippling drought, there’s barely livestock to be seen.

Sold for slaughter, mostly, except for the valuable breeding stock which have been agisted to greener pastures interstate, until the rains come.

“Drought is not like other natural disasters, it sneaks up very slowly and keeps tightening its grip,” third generation grazier Angus Emmott, of Noonbah cattle station, south west of Longreach told news.com.au

Angus Emmott in 2015, with a load of hay and cattle licks from NSW farmers to Queensland’s drought-affected, delivered in the Burrumbuttock Hay Run. Picture: Sam Rutherford

“We had some rain last winter, but not much, and we just had our fifth failed summer rain.

“Five summers in a row, we have missed out, so it’s been pretty grim.”

Like nearly 90 per cent of Queensland, Longreach is drought declared.

So, the state’s farmers are understandably enraged that, tied up in the recent, controversial approval of the Adani mega coal mine is a 60 year guarantee from the Palaszczuk Government for the use of unlimited water.

Mr Emmott said the agreement was a further kick in the guts that farmers did not need.

“For farmers in the vast percentage of western Queensland, the only access to water for both towns and agriculture is the Great Artesian Basin water because surface water all but disappears,” he said.

Nearly 90 per cent of Queensland is drought declared. Picture: Mark Calleja

“Heaps of people have to jump through hoops to get water and here’s a foreign mine, which is going to have access to water over a 60 year period, unlimited and free.”

But Adani has refuted the claims that the water they will access is “unlimited and free”.

“Adani does not hold, and never has possessed, a “free” and unlimited water licence,” a spokesman for the Indian resources giant said in a statement.

The company claims it will be paying the government three times what graziers do for water.

“Adani, like every coal mining company in Queensland, has a regulated limit on water take and pays the Queensland Government a water levy. In our case, we have to pay the State Government an upfront payment of more than $20 million before we take any water.

“That is three times the levy imposed on our grazier neighbours.

“In addition, Adani is required to have ‘make good’ agreements with landholders whose existing groundwater entitlements might be affected.”

The Greens and environmentalists have staged a long and vocal campaign against the Galilee Basin mine — which the Indian resources giant has promised will create thousands of jobs — largely on the protest that it will signal the death knell for the Great Barrier Reef.

The 2016 Burrumbuttock Hay Runners convoy saw 250 prime movers and 400 trailers complete their 1860km run, hauling $6 million worth of hay to Ilfracombe, east of Longreach. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

But Mr Emmott, who sits on the National Great Artesian Basin Committee, said it is Queensland farmers who have the most to lose from the water-guzzling project going ahead.

“I know there are many people working to stop the Adani mine, but I reckon farmers have a pretty crucial role to play,” he said.

“After all, it’s our water and livelihoods they’re going to destroy if this water licence goes ahead.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on a visit to western Queensland. Picture: Mark Calleja

Mr Emmott started an online petition on behalf of the state’s drought-affected farmers urging Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to rescind the right.

Nearly 35,000 people have signed in two weeks.

“Nearly 90 per cent of Queensland is currently drought declared, so why are we giving an Indian billionaire access to unlimited groundwater for a new coal mine?” Mr Emmott wrote in the petition.

“I’m asking all Australians, to stand with me in calling upon the Premier to rescind this approval before irrevocable damage is done to our groundwater systems and the long term sustainability of Queensland agriculture.”

The farmer, who also holds a masters degree in science, said if the mine goes ahead as planned, an estimated 26 million litres of groundwater would be extracted each day.

“If the Adani railway line goes ahead — with taxpayers’ money, which is wrong to start with — there is the potential for nine mines to get going in a strip of land that’s roughly 50km wide and 350km north-south,” he said.

Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire with access to unlimited Queensland groundwater. Picture: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Bloomberg News

“Over its life, this mine alone would total 355 billion litres of water and modelling already demonstrates that two springs will be shut down.

“My concern is that for someone living on the land in western Queensland, the main recharge beds for much of Great Artesian Basin are through central and western Queensland.

“I have had a look at the (environmental impact statements) and I don’t think they really know what this is going to do.”

But Adani said the limit imposed upon them was similar to that imposed on a large farm.

“Our limit per year is approximately equivalent to the amount used each year by a 450ha sugar cane farm in the Lower Burdekin irrigation area,” the company spokesman said.

“The water licence also allows Adani — like every other Queensland coal mine — to remove and use all groundwater that flows into the pits to make the mine safe.”

Mr Emmott said he has so far had no response from Ms Palaszczuk but intends to deliver the petition to her in person, which, he hopes will have more than 50,000 signatures.

“I came off a quad bike when doing work around the farm and was airlifted to hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, I was out of action for a few days, but I’m back on the farm now,” he said.

Mr Emmott is hoping for 50,000 signatures before he delivers the petition to Ms Palaszczuk.

“The doc says I should take it easy after my accident, but as soon as I get the all-clear to travel I’ll fly to Brisbane to deliver the petition in person. I might bring a few other farmers with me too.”

A desperate act from a region that continues to do it tough.

“There’s quite a lot of suicides, on top of mental health issues and its not just farmers. The livestock carriers, all businesses in town, right across the whole landscape are effected,” Mr Emmott said.

“The only saving grace is tourism in the winter time, because, as locals, we have not been helping out the businesses at all.”

Click here to sign Mr Emmott’s petition.