Federal election 2019: Adani delays force Labor meetings with Premier Palaszczuk

Labor MPs will meet Premier Palaszczuk amid fears that delays to the mine could cost seats.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will meet Labor MPs. Picture: AAP

Queensland state Labor MPs will meet Annastacia Palaszczuk today over fears government-led delays to the proposed Adani coal mine could cost them their seats.

A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk has said the meeting is a regular catch-up and that “Adani will not be discussed’’.

But Labor insiders have told The Australian that the regional-based members, most of whom are first- and second-term MPs, are increasingly nervous that they will be out of job after next year’s state election.

State government demands for further reviews on management plans — which followed state and federal environmental approvals — has now stalled the project, which the Indian conglomerate scheduled to begin construction before Christmas.

Several state MPs have told The Australian that regional MPs have been abused while handing out Labor how-to-vote cards during the current election campaign about the government’s handling of the Adani mine.

“What is at the heart of it is that these MPs fear they are going to loose their seats because of the delays and politicisation of the project,’’ the MP said.

“These are areas that are struggling economically, have lower unemployment and people are fed-up with the political shenanigans.

“Graham Richardson says ‘the mob usually gets it right’ and I think the mob, in this case, has worked out that the premier is saying one thing and doing the other in stalling the mine.’’

Just a week into the federal campaign, Labor insiders and two former state MPs told The Australian that the handling of the Adani coalmine project was damaging Bill Shorten’s hopes of winning marginal Coalition-held seats in regional Queensland.

The Opposition Leader hoped to make gains in Queensland, where the Coalition holds 21 of the 30 federal seats, and retain Labor’s only regional seat, the Townsville electorate of Herbert.

Former state Labor MP Jim Pearce, who lost his central Queensland seat of Mirani at the 2017 state election, said the Adani mine was “a big issue’’.

“It is very obvious there is anger about the way it has dragged on,’’ Mr Pearce said.

Published and private indicates Labor is unlikely to pick up the ultra-marginal Coalition seats of Capricornia (held on a margin of 0.6 per cent), Flynn (1 per cent) and Dawson (3.4 per cent) and is facing the loss of its only Queensland regional seat of Herbert — held on a margin of 37 votes.

Second-term Labor MP Scott Stewart, who holds the state seat of Townsville, said he could not talk about a caucus meeting earlier this week in which the Adani delays are understood to have been raised.

“What happens in caucus stays in caucus,’’ he said. “I have always backed the opening of the Galilee Basin, they just need to stack up environmentally and financially.”

Asked whether he would raise the Adani issue in the meeting this afternoon, Mr Stewart said he would not.

“If that becomes a part of the conversation, I don’t know. I won’t raise it, I’m going along to meet with the premier this afternoon. I don’t know, I can’t answer for anyone else but I won’t be raising it.”