The construction union has warned Queensland's premier not to be duped out of job guarantees in her haste to resolve an impasse over Adani's proposed coal mine in the Galilee Basin.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has denied rushing anything as she tours the regions days after they thumped Labor at the federal election, partly over the way her government has handled Adani's project.
She is expected to announce a time frame on Friday to resolve Adani's long-running bid to get approvals after ordering the miner to meet with government officials on Thursday.
Adani Australia boss Lucas Dow told reporters he felt emboldened after the talks, but would leave any further announcements to Ms Palaszczuk.
"The engagement we've had today and the constructive nature of the meeting has certainly emboldened us in terms of the level of support that we're seeing from the Queensland government," Mr Dow said.
But the construction arm of the CFMEU has warned the premier she could be duped in her haste to settle the matter, and the Greens warn that tapping the coal reserve could spark a climate catastrophe.
"Before Ms Palaszczuk even thinks about pushing this project any further forward she must extract iron clad guarantees from Adani that the mine will bring long-term, permanent jobs for Queenslanders," the CFMEU's Michael Ravbar said.
He said the premier risked being taken for a ride and state Labor must guard against the prospect of workers being shipped in from India.
"Without enforceable guarantees on secure local jobs and procurement - along with sureties relating to water security - the premier risks being conned by corporate carpetbaggers."
Ms Palaszczuk said she was moving "very quickly" to end frustration over the long-running impasse over Adani but denied that bringing in Queensland's Coordinator-General to oversee the approvals processes amounted to political interference.
"Not at all," she told reporters in Townsville.
She also denied backflipping on the Carmichael mine planned for the Galilee Basin following the federal election, saying she had ordered clarity on time frames.
Queensland's first and only Greens MP Michael Berkman warned the mine was just the "tip of the spear."
"It could open up the entire Galilee Basin which is the biggest untapped coal reserve in the world, and that would be a catastrophe for climate change."
Former Greens leader Bob Brown accused Adani of "bullying and hectoring the state government into breaching proper environmental process" around its plans to protect groundwater and the endangered black-throated finch.
Mackay mayor Greg Williamson said regional communities were still angry at Bob Brown's anti-Adani convoy and there was no doubt that had Labor won the federal election, the Adani mine would have been scrapped by the state government.
"We have had rallies where we have never rallied before and I spoke to a guy with a grinder just doing his day's work and he said 'Quexit, bring it on'. That's the feeling of people in regional Queensland," he said.
Also on Thursday, a Chinese company suspended its bid to create a massive coal mine next to Adani's project.
The China Stone project had promised to create thousands of jobs, but the state government says the company has "voluntarily not progressed" with its mining lease applications.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has denied rushing anything as she tours the regions days after they thumped Labor at the federal election, partly over the way her government has handled Adani's project.
She is expected to announce a time frame on Friday to resolve Adani's long-running bid to get approvals after ordering the miner to meet with government officials on Thursday.
Adani Australia boss Lucas Dow told reporters he felt emboldened after the talks, but would leave any further announcements to Ms Palaszczuk.
"The engagement we've had today and the constructive nature of the meeting has certainly emboldened us in terms of the level of support that we're seeing from the Queensland government," Mr Dow said.
But the construction arm of the CFMEU has warned the premier she could be duped in her haste to settle the matter, and the Greens warn that tapping the coal reserve could spark a climate catastrophe.
"Before Ms Palaszczuk even thinks about pushing this project any further forward she must extract iron clad guarantees from Adani that the mine will bring long-term, permanent jobs for Queenslanders," the CFMEU's Michael Ravbar said.
He said the premier risked being taken for a ride and state Labor must guard against the prospect of workers being shipped in from India.
"Without enforceable guarantees on secure local jobs and procurement - along with sureties relating to water security - the premier risks being conned by corporate carpetbaggers."
Ms Palaszczuk said she was moving "very quickly" to end frustration over the long-running impasse over Adani but denied that bringing in Queensland's Coordinator-General to oversee the approvals processes amounted to political interference.
"Not at all," she told reporters in Townsville.
She also denied backflipping on the Carmichael mine planned for the Galilee Basin following the federal election, saying she had ordered clarity on time frames.
Queensland's first and only Greens MP Michael Berkman warned the mine was just the "tip of the spear."
"It could open up the entire Galilee Basin which is the biggest untapped coal reserve in the world, and that would be a catastrophe for climate change."
Former Greens leader Bob Brown accused Adani of "bullying and hectoring the state government into breaching proper environmental process" around its plans to protect groundwater and the endangered black-throated finch.
Mackay mayor Greg Williamson said regional communities were still angry at Bob Brown's anti-Adani convoy and there was no doubt that had Labor won the federal election, the Adani mine would have been scrapped by the state government.
"We have had rallies where we have never rallied before and I spoke to a guy with a grinder just doing his day's work and he said 'Quexit, bring it on'. That's the feeling of people in regional Queensland," he said.
Also on Thursday, a Chinese company suspended its bid to create a massive coal mine next to Adani's project.
The China Stone project had promised to create thousands of jobs, but the state government says the company has "voluntarily not progressed" with its mining lease applications.
No comments:
Post a Comment