Annastacia Palaszczuk holds firm on ‘public risk’ paper

The Queensland government continues to refuse to publicly release documents from consultancy work on climate risk litigation.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: AAP

Queensland’s Palaszczuk government is continuing to refuse to publicly release documents from consultancy work on climate risk litigation and the possibility of “overseas scope 3 emissions’’ levels being linked to future approvals on resource projects.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk failed to answer a question in state parliament on Tuesday on whether she would order the release of the documents, authored by top Australian environmental lawyers, with the government media office later saying they were “commercial-in-confidence’’.

Initiated last year by the Labor government, Minter Ellison lawyer Sarah Barker was asked to ­“explore … climate risk litigation’’ as part of an “Advancing Queensland Priority Action: Protecting the Great Barrier Reef’’ policy.

An application under state Freedom of Information laws for internal emails canvassing the Adani project by veteran anti-coal activist Tim Seelig — controversially appointed last year as the Department of Environment’s top policy adviser — unearthed the existence of “the proposal for Queensland’’.

The proposal was circulated just days after February’s landmark decision by the NSW Land and Environment Court rejecting the proposed Rocky Hill mine, partly on the grounds of the potential climate change impacts.

The possibility of following suit and overhauling Queensland environmental law to consider overseas emissions from a proposed mine’s products was flagged in emails between Ms Barker and senior bureaucrats within the ­Environment Department.

Asked if she would release the documents, the Premier said: “My understanding about the document in question was that it was prepared in response to a NSW court case. It is not being considered and has not been considered by cabinet.’’

In a later statement, the government media office said Minter Ellison was not subsequently ­engaged by the Environment ­Department “to conduct the work canvassed in the proposal”.

“The RTI clearly shows the reference to overseas scope 3 emissions and possible inclusion in the proposal from Minter Ellison was in direct response to the Rocky Hill court determination,’’ the statement said.

Opposition spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said the document should be released.