56% Australians oppose Adani coalmine project, 65.8% want veto on $1 billion govt loan amidst massive protests

By A Representative
An Australian survey by Brisbane-based TeachTEL, which calls itself “leader in automated communications” across the country and in New Zealand, has said that 55.6% of those polled oppose the powerful Indian tycoon Gautam Adani’s controversial $16 billion Carmichael coalmine project, with an even bigger number saying they are against the Queensland state of Australia allowing the company to receive a $1bn federal loan.
Commissioned by the Stop Adani Alliance, which claims to be a growing grassroots movement of local action groups working to stop Adani’s what it calls “disastrous plans for a dirty new coal mine”, even as building “the biggest environmental movement in Australia’s history”, survey has been released amidst protests at dozens of locations in the country to “oppose” to the project.
The ReachTel surveyed about 2,200 people across Australia. It found 55.6% of respondents opposed the mine going ahead, which is more than twice the number who supported the mine. As many as 18.4% of respondents saying they were “undecided”.
On being asked what do they think of Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk making an election commitment not to spend public funds on Adani’s project, 65.8% of those polled wanted her to veto the possible $1bn loan the federal government might give to the project through the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF).

The project site

“That view was unanimous across voters of all persuasions – respondents who said they voted Liberal, National, Labor, Green, One Nation, Australian Conservatives, as well as those who were undecided, were all more likely to think Palaszczuk should veto the loan”, said the British “Guardian”, reporting on the poll.
The report said, the Australian Conservative voters were the “only group with clear support for the mine, with 57% saying they backed it”, adding, “Liberal voters were almost split down the middle – 39.3% backed the mine and 34.1% opposed it, while 25.7% were undecided.”
“A clear majority of most other voters opposed the mine proceeding – 69% of Labor, 58% of National and 90% of Greens voters. Among the One Nation voters, more opposed the mine going ahead (44.9%) than supported it (37.7%)”, the daily reported.
The polling follows earlier surveys showing similar numbers, including one commissioned by GetUp in January, finding that three-quarters of respondents believed a loan to Adani was not a good use of public money. Another polling by The Australia Institute in May found 59% of Queensland voters were opposed to any state or federal assistance for the mine.
The voting has taken place close on the heels of an Australian journalistic exposure titled “Digging into Adani: The dubious dealings of India's corporate colossus”, carried out by Four Corners travelled to Kutch in Gujarat to investigate the activities of the Adani Group. The noticed now it “soon discovered the power of the company.”

An Adani project in Kutch

“While attempting to film and gather information about Adani's operations, the Four Corners team had their cameras shut down, their footage deleted and were questioned for hours by police”, a Four Corners note says, adding, “The team were left in no doubt that their investigations into the Indian company triggered the police action.”
Claiming that the Four Corners “has been digging into the business practices of the Adani Group” for years, the note, which is accompanied with a video footage, quotes a former government minister as saying that there were “not accidental” but “deliberate, willful violations" of environment in Kutch, where it largely operates.
Digging into Adani, reported by Stephen Long and presented by Sarah Ferguson, went on air on October 2, and was replayed on October 3 and 4, on ABC News channel.
---
Click HERE for survey results

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog