Labor mayor slams anti-investor ‘Adani rules’
Townsville’s Labor mayor fears tough assessment measures for the Adani coalmine could frighten away investors in the region.
Townsville’s Labor Mayor Jenny Hill fears the Queensland government’s tough assessment measures for the Adani coalmine could frighten away investors in the region.
Her comments followed a press conference in Townsville where Queensland Infrastructure Minister Cameron Dick refused to accept findings from the Infrastructure Association of Queensland that delays in approving Adani’s Carmichael mine were causing investor angst.
Ms Hill told The Australian she was concerned by the message being sent to potential investors in the region, including those the city was trying to attract to invest in a proposed $2 billion industrial battery plant. “We don’t want to see any delays,” she said.
“We don’t want potential investors to think there is an added layer of green tape that we’ve got to jump through because that turns off that investment.”
Ms Hill said the conditions imposed on Adani needed to be consistently applied to other major projects throughout Queensland. “The reality is, the bulk of the habitat of these finches extended from northern NSW to Ingham (100km north of Townsville) and a lot of the habitat has been cleared out of the southeast corner in the Brisbane and Ipswich area.
“What’s being done there to protect the bird?
“Is this going to be the bar that everyone has to meet, not just mining companies but property developers, even the government themselves when we’re doing major projects?
“It would be right for some people to be concerned around this new layer that is being proposed on a mining company.”
Mr Dick disagreed with findings from the IAQ’s Spotlight survey of its members, released yesterday, which showed that expenditure on major projects in Queensland was set to drop by 24 per cent next year and even more if the inland rail project and Adani’s Carmichael mine were further delayed by green tape.
IAQ chief executive Steve Abson said delayed environmental approvals from the state government were hurting the industry and turning foreign investors away.
“That’s not the message I’m getting from investors who are looking to invest across Queensland,” Mr Dick said.
According to the IAQ, public and private sectors have traditionally shared about 50 per cent of the expenditure on major infrastructure projects in Queensland, but a reduction in investment has seen that shift to 65 per cent government investment and 35 per cent from the private sector.
Mr Dick said Adani was not being treated differently than other mining projects.
“Every major project, whether they’re mining or otherwise, needs to stack up. It needs to be financially viable and economically viable to satisfy those approvals.
“There’s nothing new in that.”