Author Description

On 3 April 2016 the Queensland government announced that it had granted coal leases to Adani. They are in Banjo Paterson country, where ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was written. The grant put the cart before the horse. Offset habitat for the endangered Black-throated Finch had not been located, let alone secured. Compensation for graziers’ losses of water had not been agreed. The ecological health of the Great Barrier Reef was threatened as a great amount of coal would be shipped and burned. There were no guarantees as to the royalties and tax the nation would earn. And conflicting stories were told by Adani: the mine was projected to last 150 years and employ 10,000; years later, Adani admitted its lifespan would be 60 years and employ under 1,500. The very serious threat of environmental damage, the likelihood that the finches won't be saved and the economic uncertainty lead inexorably to one conclusion. However, you be the judge...