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| Annastacia Palazczuk |
By Our Representative
In major relief, the Adani Group, seeking to go in for one
of the world’s biggest mining projects in Australia’s Queensland province, has
reached an agreement with its new Labour government which has just taken over,
allowing it to dump the dredge spoil on land on the site known as T2,
adjacent to the existing coal terminal, and not on ecologically sensitive Caley Valley wetlands or
within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The communiqué quoted Palaszczuk to say that she has always supported “the responsible and sustainable development of the Galilee
Basin and Abbot Point”, and the agreement she has reached “demonstrates that”. The Australian environmentalists have still not reacted to the agreement reached between the new government and the Adanis, one of India's biggest business houses, and GVK, a top Indian infrastructure firm.
“Today my government sends a clear message: we can protect
the Great Barrier Reef, and we can foster economic development and create jobs”,
the Queensland premier said. Through this agreement, the new Labour government hopes
to placate powerful environmental lobby led by Greenpeace Australia, which wants
the Adani project to be cancelled.
“I am determined to deliver on my election commitments, and
that includes no dumping of capital dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef
World Heritage Area, no dumping of dredge material in the nationally-significant
Caley Valley wetlands, and no taxpayer funding for capital dredging and the
disposal of dredge spoil”, Palaszczuk said.
“The government will not proceed with the current approvals
process. We will withdraw the applications and present a new application
centred on the T2 site”, she said, adding, “T2 is the only remaining
unallocated industrial land at the Port and the only responsible way to proceed
with the Abbot Point development to ensure it is ready for future exports from
the Galilee Basin.”
Thanking Adanis and GVK for working with the new Queensland
government “to come up with a sustainable plan” that would help “protect the
Reef, protect the wetlands and create jobs”, State Development Minister Dr
Anthony Lynham clarified, “Unlike the previous government’s project, capital
dredging costs will not be funded by taxpayers.”
“We will ensure that approvals costs will be met by Galilee
Basin proponents, with capital dredging costs to be paid for by the proponents
to the Galilee Basin projects,” Dr Lynham said, adding, “The new project
referral under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
Act would involve a full Environmental Impact Statement process, which also
allows for a new round of public consultation.”
“The Port of Abbot Point development is vital to
Queensland’s economic future. That’s why we are prioritising this project and
are dedicated to ensuring it progresses in a transparent and environmentally
responsible manner," he said.
“We will immediately begin work on providing a robust and
informed approval referral to the Commonwealth Government and applications to
state approval agencies. The Palaszczuk Government is committed to working with
local communities and project proponents to deliver good economic and
environmental outcomes when it comes to major developments”, he said.
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