QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palasczuk has confirmed the Coordinator-General’s release of timelines to finalise the approval processes for the Adani Carmichael mine.
The mine is been an intensely volatile topic politically, with supporters noting its job-creation potential and opponents claiming it will both damage local ecosystems and contribute to global climate change.
The issue widely seen to have cost Labor the 18 May election and Premier Palasczuk in recent days has been on a charm offensive highlighting her government’s support for the resources sector.
“We now have clear timelines to finalise two key decisions for this project,” the Premier said.
“The Coordinator-General has advised that a decision on the Black-throated Finch Management Plan should be finalised by 31 May, and on the Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan by 13 June.
“The Coordinator-General is working to ensure that a number of outstanding issues resting with the CSIRO regarding the GDEMP are resolved in a timely fashion.”
The Premier said she expected all parties, including Adani and state agencies, to work co-operatively to finalise these matters.
Should it become operational, the mine is expected to boost demand for bulk vessels operating in and about of Abbot Point coal terminal near Bowen on the Central Queensland coast.
