Indian mining giant Adani’s 21.7 billion dollar coal mine project in Australia faced a fresh legal hurdle on Wednesday, after traditional owners of Queensland’s Galilee Basin challenged the leases granted to the controversy-hit project.
Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) representative group said it had filed an interlocutory application in the Federal Court of Australia challenging the leases. The application argued that the mining leases, announced by Queensland state’s mines minister Anthony Lynham in April, were not properly issued.
The Queensland government issued the mine leases in the absence of the consent of the W&J people to Carmichael mine, and in the face of their three-time rejection of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with Adani.Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) representative group
The W&J representative group also released a letter dated 15 October 2015, in which Lynham said he would consider the lease applications after all legislative requirements were satisfactorily explored.
We have formally rejected this disastrous project three times. In this light, Lynham’s issuing of the mining leases is a shameful episode in the trashing of Traditional Owners’ rights by the exercise of government power.Adrian Burraguba, Spokesperson, Wangon and Jagalingou
Burraguba said that the Minister’s treatment of W&J and his failure to allow the legal due process to play out, calls into question his integrity and the exercise of his powers.
The W&J representative also announced that they have filed a complaint under the Racial Discrimination Act with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission on the systemic discrimination in the administration of Native Title system in Australia. “These actions show we are standing strong,” Burragubba said.
Adani’s plan to build one of the world’s biggest coal mines in Australia has been hampered time and again. A federal court in August 2015 had revoked the original approval due to environmental concerns. In October last year, the project got a new lease of life after the Australian government gave its re-approval.
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