Adani has welcomed the Federal Court’s decision to dismiss the Australian Conservation Foundation’s case against the $16 billion Carmichael coal mine.
The ACF had challenged former environment minister Greg Hunt’s decision to give environmental approval to the project, claiming he failed to consider the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.
The decision comes just 10 days after the Federal Court dismissed another challenge against the project regarding Native Title.
“Consistent with earlier decisions of Queensland’s Land Court and the Federal Court affirming the company’s approvals, the Federal Court has determined that due process has been followed,” Adani Australia said in a statement.
“At their core, these challenges have been about stopping investment and jobs as part of a wider activist campaign against mining.
“A recent report by PwC quantified the cost of these delays as being some $3 billion to the economy and over 1600 jobs annually over the first ten years of the intended projects.
“In local communities, a state and a national economy crying out for growth, this represents a significant cost to the community, not just to Adani.”
The mining giant pointed out the project would lift hundreds of millions of people out of energy poverty in India.
“If the better quality, better regulated coal from Australia is not sourced in Queensland, it will simply mean lower quality, higher emitting coal from elsewhere in the world will be used. So the activists will not only harm local jobs, but if they get their way would ensure higher emissions as well,” the company said.
“We call on the new Minister for Environment & Energy, Josh Frydenberg, to reconsider the previous minister’s approval of this dangerous mine and to fix Australia’s broken environment laws that allowed such a polluting mine to be approved,” she said.
“We’ll do everything we can to stop this mine.”
Adani said construction of the mine, rail and port components of the project are expected to begin next year.
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