Galilee Basin coalmine project hits indigenous hurdle

Australia’s largest proposed coal mine has split local native title claimants.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Mines Minister Anthony Lynham.

The progress of Australia’s largest proposed coal mine has hit a hurdle, with a split among local native title claimants that is threatening to block the project in Queensland’s emerging resource frontier.

Just weeks after the new Palaszczuk Labor government publicly backed the opening up of the Galilee Basin, Aboriginal leaders are threatening to block the looming construction of the massive $16 billion Carmichael coal mine.

The mine — one of five projects under development in the basin — has won state and federal government environmental approvals and is set to begin production within three years.

Native title claimants of the Wangan and Jagalingou people have refused to sign a land-use agreement over Carmichael with Indian resource giant Adani, which is hoping to export coal from the mine to fuel its power plants in India.

Adrian Burragubba, one of three native title claimants on land which covers the project, said he would never agree to allow Adani to go ahead with the mine.

Adani has already filed legal action against the native title claimants — who filed their claim in 2004 and still have negotiating rights while they wait for determination by the Federal Court — that could force an agreement or a compulsory land acquisition.

“The new Queensland Labor government has an opportunity to step up now, and do the right thing,’’ he said.

“We call on Premier Palaszczuk and Minister for Mines Anthony Lynham to rule out compulsorily acquiring our land. They must reject Adani’s mining lease application for Carmichael.

“If they approve Carmichael, they will be responsible for the death of our land, and our connection to it going back to time immemorial.

“The W&J people have never given our consent to Adani’s massive mine and never will.

“It will destroy our ancestral lands and waters, our totemic animals and plants and our dreaming.’’

But Adani said they were still hopeful of reaching an agreement with the local aboriginal clans and that Mr Burragubba did not speak for the all of the native title claimants.

“Adani does not believe that the W&J `don’t want this mine’ as the W&J have been and continue to be actively involved in negotiations around delivery of the mine on terms acceptable to the W&J,” a spokesman said.

“Adani respects the W&J’s cultural heritage and can confirm it has been working closely with

the W&J since 6 September 2011 under a cultural heritage management plan agreed with the W&J.”

A spokesman for the lawyers representing the clans, Chalk Fitzgerald said they could not comment because they had not received instructions from all three claimants.

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines said the W&J’s native title claim overlapped with land that was subject to another claim lodged by the Bidjara people.

This prevented the government from giving its consent to the W&J claim, a spokesperson said.