Queensland Labor ‘uncertainties’ stall Adani go-ahead

Queensland Labor has sought to blame the Morrison government for new uncertainty over Adani.

George Christensen and Matt Canavan in Bowen yesterday. Picture: Monique Preston

Queensland Labor has sought to blame the Morrison government for a fresh wave of uncertainty over the stalled Adani coalmine, with the state’s Environment Minister claiming “political ­interference” may have compromised the Coalition’s election-eve decision to rubberstamp a crucial environmental approval for the project.

Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price’s decision yesterday to sign off on Adani’s groundwater management plan was praised by Queensland Nationals­ MPs but condemned by green activists, who raised the threat of legal action to overturn the minister’s decision.

Ensuring that the controversial project will continue as a wedge issue for both sides of polit­ics, state Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said that despite the sign-off from CSIRO and Geoscience there were still a “number of uncertainties” around the water management plan that required her government’s approval.

Her comments signal an extra delay by the state government, which has already stalled Adani’s plan to protect the en­dange­red black-throated finch.

Ms Price’s approval came after she obtained written assurances from the major scientific agencies that Adani’s revised groundwater plan adequately addressed concerns raised by those agencies.

The plan must be approved by Queensland officials before Adani can start building the Carmichael­ coal and rail project, which would unlock the state’s first new coal province in more than 50 years.

In a statement, Ms Enoch said: “Based on the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia report, initial advice from the Department of Environment and Science is that a number of uncertainties remain. This includes whether the GDEMP (groundwater plan) definitively identifies the source aquifers of the Doongmabulla Springs Complex, which has always­ been a requirement for state approval.”

The scientific agencies’ initial advice to the federal government indicated Adani’s explanatio­n of the springs’ source­s was “plausible” but “not sufficiently robust”.

In letters to Ms Price’s offic­ials, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia officials said they now believed their concerns had been addressed, having been briefed by her department about late changes Adani had made to its groundwater plan.

Wilderness Society federal policy director Tim Beshara said the “unprecedented” letters raised questions about what the scientists were told in their briefings with Ms Price’s officials.

“That is the regulator telling the supposedly independent ­advisory body that it’ll be fine, and then asking them to put ‘based on what you guys told me, she’ll be right, mate’ in an urgent letter,” said Mr Beshara, who mooted referrin­g the affair to the new nationa­l integrity commission.

Ms Price’s approval was condemned as “rushed” by independent candidates targeting the seats of Liberal MPs in Victoria, some of whom urged the minister to delay approving the water plan.

Scott Morrison rejected claims of political pressure, insisting major environmental decisions would be “made by ministers listenin­g to scientists, not senators listening to themselves”.

But Ms Enoch said she was “very concerned­” that Nationals MPs had mounted a “political campaig­n (that) reeks of political interference and may have compromis­ed the integrity of the dec­ision-making process”.

Adani chief executive Lucas Dow said he had “requested on multiple occasions” meetings with Premier Annastacia Palasz­czuk and her deputy, Jackie Trad, but had been “rebuffed”. “As Treasurer, I would expect the Deputy Premier would take a responsible approach and be supportive­ of this project because it will continue to provide the sort of royalties, and also the employment opportunities required in places like Rockhampton and Townsville,” he told Sky News.

Nationals MP Michelle Landry, who is defending the Rockhampton-based seat of Capri­cornia, called on the state govern­ment to clear the mine to proceed.

“The reason for the delay was that Minister Price took this back to CSIRO and Geoscience Australia for an independent assessment of the groundwater. This has been decided on scientific evidence,” she said.

Keith Pitt, the Nationals MP for Hinkler, said Adani had “jumped through every hoop they were asked to”. “If they (state Labor) have no intention of signing off, they should have done so a long time ago and told the people of Queensland they don’t want jobs in central Queensland and don’t want a resources industry at all,” he said.

The Environmental Defenders Office has raised the prospect of challenging the approval in court over claims Ms Price was pressured by colleagues. The federal government has already approved the finch plan, but it stalled at the state level after Ms Enoch’s officials ordered new advice from Melbourne University that recommended tougher rules.

The Australian understands Ms En­och’s officials met with Adani in recent days and the department is expected to respond to the company’s latest finch plan later this week. When asked if he would review the approval, Bill Shorten said that could depend on the state government’s next move.

“We’re not interested in sovereign risk. We’ll just be guided by the law and by the science,” the Opposition Leader said.