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Between responsibility and positioning – a study about young people’s interactions in social media

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Reverse Transfer: Using Social Media to Teach Academic Paper Principles

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Simple Tips for Helping Students Become Safer, Smarter Social Media Users

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THIS July and August, our flagship the M/Y Steve Irwin, will travel the east coast of Australia to Abbot Point, to oppose the Adani Carmichael coal mine, rail link and coal port. Our position will be made clear - Australia will not trade the Great Barrier Reef with one of the world's biggest and most destructive coalmines. Why Stop Adani?
Climate change threatens not only our oceans but our very way of life.

Adani expects to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of coal over 60 years, mainly for export to India, whilst pumping 4.7 billion tonnes of planet warming greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Mining, burning and exporting coal is the key contribution Australia makes to this global crisis.

Australia is the largest exporter of coal in the world. We literally export climate change to the world.

If it goes ahead, Adani's mine would be Australia's biggest ever coal mine and one of the largest in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef
Australia's much-loved natural icon, the Great Barrier Reef, is home to thousands of reefs, hundreds of islands and over 600 types of corals, colourful fish, molluscs, starfish, plus endangered turtles, dolphins, whales and sharks.

But the reef is under serious threat.

Development of the proposed Carmichael Adani coal mine, rail link and coal port would require a massive dredging program - right through the heart of the reef - and bring an extra 500 coal ships through the Great Barrier Reef each year. Burning the coal, no matter where in the world, will worsen climate change which is already causing the reef to bleach and die.

Unprecedented bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017 resulted in mass coral mortality. 30% of the coral is now dead, thanks to climate change, which coal is largely responsible for.

By 2034, the extreme ocean temperatures that led to the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events may occur every two years.

The return period for global bleaching events has decreased from 27 years in the 1980s to only 5.9 years now.

Adani's new coal will only exacerbate these impacts, signing the death certificate for our Great Barrier Reef.

JOIN US - watch the M/Y Steve Irwin sail in to Circular Quay to launch Operation Reef Defence:

Operation Reef Defence Dates

Ports of Call: SYDNEY 20-22 July | BRISBANE 29-30 July

Free Ship Tours in Sydney
July 21: 10am - 4pm | July 22: 10am - 4pm
Due to weather conditions that will delay the ship's arrival into Sydney, Free Ship Tours on Friday, July 20 have been cancelled. We're sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Free Ship Tours in Brisbane on 29-30 July: Between 11am - 5pm

Ship at Anchor: COFFS HARBOUR 24 July | BYRON BAY 27 July
GOLD COAST 28 July | NOOSA 31 July | AGNES WATER 2 August | YEPPOON 4 August | MACKAY 5 August | AIRLIE BEACH 7 August
ABBOT POINT 8 August

Please click on the tour map to make it larger.

Latest Campaign News

Adani ready to go - rail line is last piece in puzzle | The Courier Mail | July 18

Adani coal port under threat of stop order amid concern for sacred sites | The Guardian | June 28

Adani's plans to protect desert springs are worthless, water experts say | ABC Local | June 12

Adani says 450% bigger Carmichael mine does not need a new review | The Guardian | June 12

Stop Adani movement kicks off 2018 with parliament protest | The Guardian | February 14

Adani should not get a loan | Brisbane Times | November 8

Stop Adani campaign to hit top gear ahead of Queensland election | The Australian | November 6

Adani activists spell out grievance | Townsville Bulletin, October 9, 2017

Thousands take to the streets with chants of Adani Go Home! | India Today, October 9, 2017

You can follow the campaign by searching for #StopAdani on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Sea Shepherd Australia - Operation Reef Defence

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THIS July and August, our flagship the M/Y Steve Irwin, will travel the east coast of Australia to Abbot Point, to oppose the Adani Carmichael coal mine, rail link and coal port. Our position will be made clear - Australia will not trade the Great Barrier Reef with one of the world's biggest and most destructive coalmines.

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The last legal roadblock Adani faces, the challenge by the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners of the Galilee Basin to the Indigenous Land Use Agreement, is likely to be resolved this month. While the proposed Carmichael mine in central Queensland is often deemed "a stranded asset", as Adani has not succeeded in securing finance for the $16.5 billion project, it will not just walk away.

The latest attempt to secure finance has been to seek partners for the Abbot Point coal handing facility. The port facility currently servicing existing coalmines is operating at 50% capacity. The construction of a rail link from mine to port is essential for the success of both the mining project and the profitable operation of the port.

To shore up both projects Adani has appointed investment bank Rothschild to sell a stake in its Abbot Point port operations. An unnamed banker at a large international firm told Fairfax Media that Adani tried to sell a stake in the port 18 months ago, but its price expectations were too high. There were also questions about its financial forecasts.

Several big banks looked at it, but decided "they didn't want Greenpeace parked in the foyers", he said. The banker also said Adani looked at issuing bonds last year to raise funds, but investment banks didn't go for it.

A May 21 report that Adani's parent company has written down US$13.3 million on its accounts on the Mumbai Stock Exchange demonstrates the financial difficulties it is facing.

The potential for the Adani project to fail because it is not financial is being used by Labor as an excuse for not opposing the mine or committing to cancelling approvals.

It is not good enough for Labor to promote policies to combat climate change while remaining silent on the question of new coalmines. Bill Shorten and his pretender Anthony Albanese have raised the bogey of "sovereign risk" when challenged to make a commitment to cancelling the existing approvals for mines in the Galilee Basin. Legal advice given by Environmental Defenders Office QLD showed this to be a furphy.

In a paper commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), economist Saul Eslake said that politicians on both sides were willingly misleading people into thinking Stopping the Adani coal mine would pose a 'sovereign risk' to Australia.

Eslake found there was "absolutely no reason" the country's sovereign risk would be affected if a future government stopped the Adani mine proceeding for environmental reasons. "Sovereign risk is not the risk a government might change its mind or make a decision I don't like."

Nor are the banks likely to downgrade Australia's risk rating: "Banks wouldn't be concerned because banks don't want to loan to it anyway."

Eslake pointed out "there is no contract" between the Commonwealth and Adani. He said the term "sovereign risk" has a specific meaning - the chance that a government will default on its debt - and politicians are abusing it to confuse and mislead voters.

Governments regularly make environmental decisions that do not affect sovereign risk, Eslake said, such as bans on uranium mining, domestic gas controls and logging restrictions.

ACF chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said Eslake's report was further evidence that "attempts to justify support for Adani's dirty coal mine are falling like dominoes".

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The last legal roadblock Adani faces, the challenge by the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners of the Galilee Basin to the Indigenous Land Use Agreement, is likely to be resolved this month. While the proposed Carmichael mine in central Queensland is often deemed "a stranded asset", as Adani has not succeeded in securing finance for the $16.5 billion project, it will not just walk away.

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SEA Shepherd's flagship the MY Steve Irwin called in at Byron Bay last Friday on its way to Abbot Point to protest against the Adani coal mine.

A large group of local Greens and anti-Adani protesters were on hand to greet the vessel, with a solitary humpback whale breaching in the sea near Julian Rocks as the Steve Irwin sailed in.

Organisers said: "Sea Shepherd was part of the Stop Adani Alliance that represent almost 40 organisations and millions of Australians calling for an end to the Adani Carmichael coal mine."

The ship's captain, Mal Holland, said he and the crew were committed to the campaign against the controversial mine project.

"This is a campaign to demonstrate to the politicians that the Adani project is not good, and they are very disconnected from how opposed people are to the project," he said.

"We very much draw a line in the sand against this project and when we get up to Abbot Point we will do everything we can to stop it happening."

Byron Shire Mayor Simon Richardson was there to welcome the Steve Irwin and crew.

"Sea Shepherd is a much loved and respected organisation in Byron Shire because we share so many values, especially a deep love of our marine environment and an unwavering commitment to protect it," he said.

"We wish them all the best for their ongoing vital work."

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith said she was delighted to welcome the ship.

"Sea Shepherd have been strong supporters of my campaign in this region to bring an end to the unscientific and cruel shark nets off Ballina and to protect our Cape Byron Marine Park," she said.

"The Greens support Sea Shepherd in the effort to stop Adani and protect the Great Barrier Reef."

Managing director of Sea Shepherd Australia Jeff Hansen said: "Byron Bay is one of Sea Shepherd's strongest ground support bases for the oceans, under the leadership of our brave and tireless eco warrior Adam Shostak.

"So many of Sea Shepherd's campaigns over the years in defence of the world's oceans, humanity's primary life support system, would simply not have happened without the support of the Byron Bay community.

"Sea Shepherd stands with Byron indefence of the Great Barrier Reef and a liveable climate for our children. United, there is nothing we cannot achieve in fighting for this planet."

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SEA Shepherd's flagship the MY Steve Irwin called in at Byron Bay last Friday on its way to Abbot Point to protest against the Adani coal mine. A large group of local Greens and anti-Adani protesters were on hand to greet the vessel, with a solitary humpback whale breaching in the sea near Julian Rocks as the Steve Irwin sailed in.

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Adani's engagement with Indigenous groups

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Adani's engagement with Indigenous groups

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Indigenous Engagement

Adani Australia recognises the traditional owners of the land of which the mine, rail and port are located, the Juru, Jangga, Birriah and Wangan and Jagalingou people. Since entering the Australian market in 2010, our Indigenous Engagement team has worked with traditional owners to establish approved Cultural Heritage Management Plans and Indigenous Land Use Agreements, which include participation plans outlining employment and training opportunities. These agreements will provide multi-generational benefits for traditional owners.

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Updated August 03, 2018 07:08:29

Traditional owners fighting Adani's proposed Carmichael mine in Queensland have urged the United Nations to urgently intervene by formally censuring Australia at a meeting in Geneva this month.

United States-based lawyers acting for the Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) Family Council have called on a UN Committee to publicly condemn Australian authorities for "violating" an international pact against racial discrimination by wiping out their native title rights.

In a scathing complaint against the Queensland and federal governments and the National Native Title Tribunal, the mine opponents accuse Australia of "serious violations" of a UN convention and Adani of using the "coercive power" of native title laws stacked against Indigenous groups.

Those opposed to the project within the W&J, which is split over a land use deal with Adani that is now in dispute in the Federal Court, accuse the Government of preparing to extinguish their native title claim even if the deal is ruled invalid.

"In addition to the damage to our land, the Carmichael coal mine would also draw down over 12 billion litres of water each year, which would likely devastate one of our most sacred places: the Doongmabulla Springs," the complaint said.

Australia is better than this, lawyer says

California-based lawyer Noni Austin from Earth Justice, who helped prepare the UN appeal, said the mine "threatens to destroy the Wangan and Jagalingou's ancestral homelands and culture, and their very existence as a people".

"This is a violation of the Wangan and Jagalingou's internationally-protected fundamental human rights, and the actions of the Australian and Queensland governments and Adani Mining are responsible.

"The Wangan and Jagalingou are now forced to ask a UN Committee to urgently protect their human rights, because Australia has failed do so, in violation of international law.

"Australia and Queensland are prioritising a foreign company's profits over the permanent loss of an entire people - Surely Australia is better than this."

The appeal to the UN said the Queensland Government has argued in the federal court that even if an Indigenous land use deal with Adani is ruled invalid, "it still has power to accept the purported surrender of our native title and issue freehold tenure to Adani at any time, thereby extinguishing our native title".

It says the native title system makes good faith negotiations with miners "almost impossible ... because the tribunal almost always allows the project to proceed, even over the Indigenous peoples' explicit objection".

"[It] has no authority to order royalty-type payments, many Indigenous groups feel compelled to agree to the project during the negotiation period so that they can be assured of obtaining at least some royalty-type benefit rather than risk a likely adverse tribunal decision," the letter states.

Ongoing investigation into environmental compliance

It comes a day after the Queensland Government revealed it would force Adani to identify the source of the Doongmabulla Springs, a critical W&J cultural site which experts say is at risk of drying up under Adani's proposed groundwater plan.

Queensland Environment Minister Leanne Enoch also told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday that her department "has been investigating matters" of environmental compliance around the Carmichael coal mine.

But under questioning by state Greens MP Michael Berkman, she refused to say more than the investigations were "ongoing".

Ms Enoch said Adani was subject to the state's "incredibly strict" environmental conditions.

"What I can say is that one of the plans still outstanding is the Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management plan ... Adani is required to identify the source of the aquifer at Doongmabulla Springs ... prior to the approval of that plan," she said.

The complaint has been sent to political leaders including Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter, Australia's ambassador to the UN Gillian Bird and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

An Adani Australia spokesperson said the company continued to engage with traditional owners "as we are legally bound to do under the negotiated, agreed and registered Indigenous Land Use Agreements and the Cultural Heritage Management Plans".

"As this complaint to the UN relates to a matter before the court in Australia, we are unable to provide specific comment however, we always comply with our legal obligations," the spokesperson said.

Adani and W&J mine supporters claim the land use deal was supported by traditional owners in an overwhelming 294 to 1 vote in 2016.

They reject claims against the legitimacy of the deal.

W&J mine opponents contend the meeting was "fraudulent" and accuse Adani of discreetly paying thousands of dollars to recruit people to vote, including Aboriginal people with no links to the mine site.

They obtained an expert analysis that estimated W&J people would only get 0.2 per cent of Adani's earnings from the mine, less than half the industry average.

The W&J native title representative group of 12 is now evenly split on the mine.

The Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the matter.

Topics: mining-industry, mining-rural, regional-development, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, community-and-society, business-economics-and-finance, company-news, federal---state-issues, law-crime-and-justice, rights, native-title, activism-and-lobbying, government-and-politics, qld, australia, brisbane-4000, rockhampton-4700, townsville-4810, mackay-4740

First posted August 03, 2018 06:38:36

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Anti-Adani campaign goes to the UN claiming human rights violation

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Traditional owners fighting Adani's proposed Carmichael mine appeal to the United Nations to urgently intervene by formally censuring Australia at a meeting in Geneva this month, accusing authorities of violating an international pact against racial discrimination by wiping out their native title rights.

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Cairns Post article about tourism impact

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Cairns Post article about tourism impact

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To use this website, cookies must be enabled in your browser. To enable cookies, follow the instructions for your browser below. Facebook App: Open links in External Browser There is a specific issue with the Facebook in-app browser intermittently making requests to websites without cookies that had previously been set.

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Media release from the Climate Council about impact on climate and tourism

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The Climate Council is warning of serious risks to the environment, public health and North Queensland tourism, if plans for Australia's largest coal mine go ahead, according to its new report released today.

The Climate Council's Risky Business: Health, Climate and Economic Risks of the Carmichael Coal Mine report shows that if the Galilee Basin mine were a country it would rank in the top 15 worst emitting nations in the world. In addition it would be emitting more than 1.3 times Australia's current annual pollution levels from all sources.

Climate Councillor and climate scientist Professor Will Steffen said the development of any new thermal coalmines, including the Adani Carmichael mine, was fundamentally at odds with Australia's commitment to tackling climate change.

"To protect Australia from worsening climate change, such as more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as heatwaves, bushfires and floods, the burning of coal must be rapidly phased out.

"There's no room for exceptions here - including the proposed Adani Carmichael coal mine," he said.

The milestone report highlights serious risks to human health associated with the burning of coal, with the planned monstrous mine tipped to produce ash content levels reaching as high as 26%, roughly double the Australian benchmark.

"Burning coal is a major source of air pollution. We know it can cause serious health issues and even life-threatening disease in humans. That's been brought into sharp focus this year with 20 cases of black lung being diagnosed in Queensland.

"In India, to which the coal from the Adani Carmichael mine will most likely be exported, approximately 100,000 people die from coal pollution each year."
Key findings include:

If the Galilee Basin were a country on its own, it would emit more than 1.3 times. Australia's current annual emissions from all sources and rank in the top 15 emitting countries in the world.

Burning coal directly increases the incidence and severity of extreme weather events in Australia. Increased coal burning will further exacerbate extreme weather, with direct economic risks to agriculture and tourism industries.

Coal expansion will drive further warming of the oceans, which increases the risk of extreme bleaching to Australia's multi-billion dollar tourism asset, the Great Barrier Reef.

Coal is very harmful to health with 6.5 million deaths each year being attributed to air pollution from the energy sector.

Fourteen major banks worldwide have stated they will not fund the Carmichael mine based on both its lack of economic viability and environmental impact.

Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said the report shows that the Carmichael mine is a risky financial investment, presenting exaggerated promises of jobs and economic benefit.

"Coal pollution puts at risk the Great Barrier Reef and Australia's agriculture industry. We can have coal mining or we can have a healthy reef - we can't have both."

"We have already seen the Great Barrier Reef suffer two successive years of devastating mass coral bleaching as a result of warmer oceans driven by climate change and Australia's rising emissions.

"Australia's agricultural industry is vulnerable to worsening extreme weather events, like extreme heat, severe rainfall and drought. Coal pollution only exacerbates those risks."

McKenzie urged the Queensland and Federal Government to leave fossil fuels in the ground and moving towards a clean, secure, efficient and affordable energy future through investment in renewable and storage technology.

"Australia cannot afford to risk this critical multi-billion dollar tourism asset on another polluting, out-dated and unsustainable energy source, when a clear alternative is ready and waiting."
MEDIA OPPORTUNITY TODAY: The Climate Council and Doctors for the Environment Australia will officially launch the report in Brisbane at 10AM AEST .
WHERE: Cliffs Café (CBD lookout) 29 River Terrace, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane
MAP: https://goo.gl/EJC6dS

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New report: Adani monster mine could damage climate, health, tourism - Climate Council

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The Climate Council is warning of serious risks to the environment, public health and North Queensland tourism, if plans for Australia's largest coal mine go ahead, according to its new report released today. The Climate Council's Risky Business: Health, Climate and Economic Risks of the Carmichael Coal Mine report shows that if the Galilee Basin ...

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Interest group that represents mining companies

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AMMA's CEO Steve Knott pens the following opinion piece on the benefits of the Adani Carmichael Coal Project and why the final approval can't come soon enough.
WITH THE Adani Group reportedly to make its final investment decision on the Carmichael Coal Project within a few weeks, it's time we all fully understood just how significant the proposed project is to Queensland and Australia's prosperity.

New multi-billion dollar mining projects, which have driven jobs, revenues and opportunities in Australia for much of the past 15 years, have unfortunately become extremely rare due to the challenging economic conditions facing resource operators globally.

In this environment, Adani's significant investment of more than $21 billion into mining, rail and port infrastructure is a massive boost for jobs and the economy that must be embraced.

The project will further open up the coal-rich Galilee Basin for development and bring a wealth of much-needed opportunities for economic prosperity to Northern Australia.

During the construction phase, Adani will inject around $21 billion into the Queensland economy, provide around 10,000 jobs, countless opportunities for small and medium businesses along the supply chain and create a real buzz of economic activity in many rural communities.

It will also be a sign to inject investor confidence in our nation, and confirmation that despite recent market challenges and 'lawfare' from disruptive activist groups, Australia can still get big resource projects off the ground.

Further, it will go a long way to helping secure future projects and the community benefits they bring.

And with an operating life of up to 90 years, the project will provide much more than just a short-term boost for Queensland's economy.

In addition, it will create long-term opportunities for small business and provide taxation and royalties that will fund schools, hospitals and other community infrastructure for almost a century.

There have been many recent discussions in Australia about our nation's energy mix and the role coal should play in our electricity needs alongside natural gas and emerging technologies including renewables.

While this is an important debate to have, it's also extremely important to recognise that not every country has this luxury.

In India, there are hundreds of millions of people living in what most of the developed world would consider impoverished conditions. While culturally not abnormal, there are millions of people in India still cooking with solid fuels like wood, animal dung and crop waste, which the World Health Organisation attributes to more than four million premature deaths each year.

So while the Adani Project will have far-reaching benefits for Australia, it will also provide basic electricity needs for hundreds of millions of Indians as the nation continues to develop and evolve into a modern economy and more equitable society.

Those against the further development of coal also forget that Australia's high quality thermal coal has amongst the cleanest burning properties of any deposits anywhere in the world.

Australia supplying developing nations such as India with their energy needs is ultimately better for global CO2 emissions than sourcing the commodity from dirtier, less-efficient sources.

So nearly seven years after making its first development application to the state government, committing to more 200 environmental conditions to ensure no impact on the Great Barrier Reef, and patiently seeing off a number of mischievous campaigns and legal challenges by misguided activist organisations, it finally looks like Australia is on the verge of securing the Carmichael Coal Project.

At a time where our national unemployment rate is at an unacceptable 5.9 per cent and even higher among young Australians and regional communities, underemployment is rife, and Australia's resource industry has lost more than $160bn worth of potential projects, the remaining government approvals and company final investment decision cannot come soon enough.

It's time we all recognise the true benefits of the Carmichael Coal Project and get behind the Adani Group as it brings jobs, revenues and prosperity to Australia.

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Time to fully understand the benefits of Adani's Carmichael project - AMMA

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AMMA's CEO Steve Knott pens the following opinion piece on the benefits of the Adani Carmichael Coal Project and why the final approval can't come soon enough. WITH THE Adani Group reportedly to make its final investment decision on the Carmichael Coal Project within a few weeks, it's time we all fully understood just how significant the proposed project is to Queensland and Australia's prosperity.

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Betoota Advocate article on tourism impact

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Betoota Advocate article on tourism impact

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Straight satire, but presented as news

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Following the new findings that by Deloitte Access Economics that suggest the Great Barrier Reef has a total asset value of $56 billion, which is predominantly driven by tourism, the Government has today announced plans to help transition tour operators to continue their trade elsewhere.

Deloitte has calculated the economic, social and iconic value of the world heritage site in a report commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Tourism is the biggest contributor to the total asset value making up $29 billion - and generates 64,000 jobs in Australia and contributes $6.4 billion dollars to the national economy.

This puts The Great Barrier Reef in direct competition with the imminent Central Queensland Adani Mine, which is expected to be worth $16 billion and roughly 1,500 jobs.

This report has left the remaining Australian politicians who believe in science finding themselves between a rock and a hard place, as many scientists feel the Adani mine will ruin the already fragile Great Barrier Reef entirely.

Speaking to the media today Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, says she understands the discrepancies between the reef's $56 billion values and 64,000 jobs and the coal mines $16 billion and 1,500 jobs, but is willing to hear out both sides.

"The bottom line is, these foreign mining companies can promise new jobs to unskilled people, whereas the reef's jobs have always existed"

"Not to mention the fact that the reef has never done much for politicians..."

While Palaszczuk says she can see a compromise in redirecting tourism from the Great Barrier Reef towards the open-cut coal mine industry, the Queensland government is still not sure what to do with the recreational users, including divers and boaters, who make up $3 billion of the $56 billion valuation.

"The Great Barrier Reef may be a world renowned wonder of nature, but I daresay we can attract the same numbers to a world renowned wonder of capitalism"

"Adani is the new Great Barrier Reef. It's as simple as that"

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Barrier Reef Tourism Operators To Be Retrained In Giving Tours Of Open-Cut Coal Mines

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Following the new findings that by Deloitte Access Economics that suggest the Great Barrier Reef has a total asset value of $56 billion, which is predominantly driven by tourism, the Government has today announced plans to help transition tour operators to continue their trade elsewhere.

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'Barbaric': Adani's giant coal mine granted unlimited water licence for 60 years

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'Barbaric': Adani's giant coal mine granted unlimited water licence for 60 years

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The Sydney Morning Herald

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"It's bloody-minded and barbaric," said Bruce Currie, a grazier who lives in the region and has joined legal action against Galilee mines. "This is going to definitely impact on the integrity of [the Great Artesian Basin]."

According to a supplementary environmental impact statement, the mine will draw 26 million litres of water a day from its pits by as it ramps out annual production to as much as 60 million tonnes.

"In granting this licence, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines has carefully considered a broad range of information," a spokesperson said, adding modelling shows that as much as 4.55 gigalitres of groundwater could be taken per year.

"Adani will also need to establish make-good agreements with groundwater users who could potentially be affected by changes to water availability or quality," the spokesperson said. Some 100 conditions are in place to ensure water resources are protected.

Protesters gathered as Adani's local mining chief executive Jeyakumar Janakaraj spoke at a business lunch in Brisbane.
Photo: Supplied

The licence, though, would not be subject to the new Water Act Referral Panel set up to ensure "the sustainable management of water in Queensland".

The opening of mining in the Galilee Basin is shaping up to be one of country's big environment battles. Proponents say it will generate exports and bring jobs to a depressed part of the state, and even reduce carbon emissions if it displaces the use of dirty coal in India or elsewhere.

Opponents, though, argue the coal is largely poor quality and the basin will require huge subsidies to become viable. Burning the fuel will also release a "carbon bomb" that will contribute to harming the Great Barrier Reef, which is already being hammered by unprecedented coral bleaching blamed on global warming.

Fairfax also sought comment from Adani Mining, the local subsidiary of the Indian company.

Limited scrutiny

Unlike other controversial mines, such as the New Acland coal mine planned for the Darling Downs, Adani's water usage is not subject to public submissions and appeals, said Jo Bragg, chief executive of Queensland's Environmental Defenders Office.

Groundwater evidence is often the most controversial feature and public scrutiny is often the most significant aspect of any review, Ms Bragg said. "It's a matter of grave concern that there's not that opportunity."

It was "absolutely anomalous" that the Carmichael mine - which will dwarf New Acland's output of about 7.5 million tonnes a year - should go through with a less vigorous process for its water licence, she said.

Carmel Flint, a campaigner for anti-mining group Lock the Gate, said the open-ended water licence for Adani amounted to a "free kick" to take water from important aquifers such as the Dunda Beds and Clematis Sandstone formations.

Water from the Great Artesian Basin "is just essential for farming communities", Ms Flint said. "Without the water, their businesses are basically finished."

Mr Currie, who runs about 1700 head of cattle "in a good season" over his 25,000-hectare property, said Adani was "the linchpin" to the basin's mines.

If it proceeded, "a lot of the others will go ahead", worsening the groundwater disruption, he said.

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'Barbaric': Adani's giant coal mine granted unlimited water licence for 60 years

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"It's bloody-minded and barbaric," said Bruce Currie, a grazier who lives in the region and has joined legal action against Galilee mines. "This is going to definitely impact on the integrity of [the Great Artesian Basin]."

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Shorten says talk about Adani mine 'dumbing down climate debate'

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Shorten says talk about Adani mine 'dumbing down climate debate'

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The Guardian

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Bill Shorten has repeatedly denied that he told colleagues he intended to ban the Adani coal mine, but dodged questions about whether he intended to revoke its licence if Labor wins the next election.

Shorten was asked on Friday to clarify Labor's position after the businessman and environmentalist Geoff Cousins this week gave a detailed account of private discussions he had with the Labor leader over December and January.

Cousins said that after a tour of the Great Barrier Reef and the Adani mine site in January, Shorten signalled his support for Labor revoking Adani's licence based on concern about the impact of the project on the reef, on groundwater and endangered species. He then indicated he would make an announcement to that effect imminently.

The Labor leader faced questions while campaigning in Devonport on Friday ahead of the Tasmanian election on Saturday, including whether he was prepared to announce Labor would revoke the project's licence if it won government.

Shorten denied on Friday that he wanted to ban the project, and had to be talked out of that position by colleagues.

But the Labor leader did signal publicly after his trip with Cousins, without locking in to a specific option, that he was intending to adopt a harder line against the controversial Queensland coal project.

Shorten also made it clear internally following his discussions with the former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation that he wanted to toughen Labor's position on Adani, and explore options within the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for stopping or limiting the project.

Labor's pivot on Adani went for discussion to shadow cabinet in early February.

Guardian Australia has been reporting since January that there are a range of internal views about how hard to go - and some players, including the CFMEU and the frontbencher Anthony Albanese, have argued publicly against stopping a project which has already been through environmental approvals.

Some Labor figures have been worried about triggering a backlash about sovereign risk, others about the political impact in Queensland. Some who are opposed to the project are concerned there is not a clear legal pathway to that policy.

Legal advice supplied by Cousins and the ACF is considered by some Labor figures to be overly optimistic.

Cousins's comments have been deeply embarrassing for Shorten and uncomfortable for the ALP given the party is currently facing off against the Greens in the Batman byelection in Melbourne.

Shorten on Friday said he'd made no secret of the fact he wasn't a fan of the Adani project.

"But what I've also said - and I've also said it to the Australian Conservation Foundation and right through Queensland - is I respect the principle of Australian politics that if one government enters into contracts then a future government can't simply rip them up. To do so would be sovereign risk."

Shorten said he did not believe the project would materialise, citing Adani missing deadlines and his assessment that the project didn't stack up "financially, commercially, or environmentally".

Shorten denied that he wanted to ban the project and had to be talked out of that position by colleagues. "You can't simply ban it and create a sovereign risk ... No party, even the Greens political party, can simply say they can ban something - you have to adhere to the law."

Asked if he had said - at any stage - that he wanted to revoke the licence of the Adani mine, Shorten said: "No prime minister can simply ignore the law, no prime minister worth their salt should simply engage in massive sovereign risk."

Shorten said Adani had become "ground zero for a whole lot of other arguments" and accused others of "dumbing down the debate about climate change and the future of mining to one mine project".
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Shorten says talk about Adani mine 'dumbing down climate debate'

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Bill Shorten has repeatedly denied that he told colleagues he intended to ban the Adani coal mine, but dodged questions about whether he intended to revoke its licence if Labor wins the next election.