The Morrison Government has just rushed through an extraordinary last-minute approval for Adani to dig its water-guzzling, climate-wrecking mine – just days before calling the election.
One day after her job was reportedly threatened by coal-obsessed Liberal-National politicians, Environment Minister Melissa Price has caved in and fast-tracked the approval for Adani to suck up billions of litres of precious groundwater.
The Liberal-National Coalition has proven they will do anything for coal-burning companies and the billionaires who profit from them. They’ll even detonate the climate bomb that is Adani’s mine.
Adani may have this coal-obsessed party on side, but they cannot turn the tide of public concern. We’re weeks away from a federal election. It’s a critical moment to demonstrate to all parties they are unelectable without serious climate policies.
Together, we need to make this The. Climate. Election. Now is the time to stand up – for yourself, for your community, for future generations and for the planet we call home.
It’s bad enough that the government rushed through this dodgy plan on the eve of the election. But with over half of Queensland suffering through severe drought, it’s downright immoral.
The mining giant plans to drain 12.5 billion litres of precious river water every year, nearly as much as all local farmers combined. The mine threatens ancient springs – 160 wetlands that provide permanent water during drought.
It would also leave behind six unfilled coal pits that would drain millions of litres of groundwater forever.
Adani’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP) is supposed to protect vital ecosystems – like the Doongmabulla Springs near Adani’s proposed mine site. But expert water scientists have raised serious concerns about Adani’s plans to suck billions of litres of water from Queensland’s precious inland aquifers.
The Environment Minister claims the CSIRO is fine with Adani’s groundwater plans. But this looks really fishy – in a report, the CSIRO raised significant concerns about the limitations of Adani’s plans.
We have serious questions about how Adani’s contentious proposal to take at least 270 billion litres of precious groundwater was approved at the last minute.
It is wrong to think Adani now has the green light to start digging up coal in the Galilee Basin. A number of approvals remain outstanding.
The Queensland government is yet to sign-off on Adani’s Black-Throated Finch Management Plan and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan.
ACF is already taking the federal government to court because the Environment Minister did not apply the ‘water trigger’ when she referred for assessment the pipeline infrastructure for Adani’s mine. She may have also botched her consideration of public submissions as required by law.
And now, it appears the Minister was pressured by her colleagues to abuse the approvals process and rush a decision on the groundwater plan. This extraordinary last-minute political intervention could make this approval vulnerable to further legal challenge.
We will not stop until we stop Adani and protect our planet and the people we love.
P.S. The Labor party are on the fence over stopping Adani’s coal mine – they still haven’t agreed to reject the mine. Labor need to step up and say they will review the dodgy approvals for the mine if they win the election. Let’s push them all the way. Be a climate voter and volunteer.
