Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged for a timeline to be set for the approval of Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine.
Palaszczuk advised her state coordinator-general to call an urgent meeting with Adani and the independent regulator to make a deadline by Friday.
“The community is sick of it, I’m sick of it, everyone is sick of the delays,” the Premier said.
“Everyone has had more than enough time to resolve these issues and for some reason that has not occurred – that all ends now.”
Palaszczuk has also instructed the coordinator general to take a stronger oversight role across the Adani approval process timeline while seeking to ensure neither party is responsible for unnecessary delays in the approval process.
The deadline intends to “hold Adani and the independent regulator to account and to give everyone clarity around who needs to do what by when,” according to Palaszczuk.
Adani chief executive officer Lucas Dow responded to the news, stating that if management plans aren’t concluded in the next two weeks, it will be another stalling method used by the Queensland government.
“Any timeframe for a decision on these outstanding management plans longer than the next two weeks is nothing more than another delaying tactic by the Queensland Labor Government designed to delay thousands of jobs for regional Queenslanders,” he said.
“We have been put through the highest level of scrutiny on these plans and overcome every hurdle along the way and these plans have been approved at the Federal level already.”
Dow reiterated his frustration at the critique Adani has received from its plans, saying that it’s time a decision is made.
“We have been put through the highest level of scrutiny on these plans and overcome every hurdle along the way and these plans have been approved at the Federal level already,” he said.
“It’s time for the Queensland Labor Government to stop the political games, stop shifting the goal posts and let us get on with delivering these jobs for regional Queenslanders – it is time to get the Carmichael Project done.”
The Queensland Resources Council said that the new Adani approval deadline must be set in stone, with its chief executive officer Ian Macfarlane saying the recent election results reflected what Queensland residents want.
“As the Federal election showed, Queenslanders know that the future of the resources industry determines the future of the state, when the resources industry does well, Queensland does well,” he said.
“The patience of regional Queenslanders will be severely tested if this week’s meeting doesn’t provide a resolution and a crystal-clear timetable for final approvals.”