Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she'll hold Adani to the jobs promise it has made, as the Indian company prepares to finally break ground at its Carmichael coal mine site.
In her first comments since Adani won the final approval it needed to begin construction in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk told Adani she'll be watching it like a hawk.
"The company has promised 1500 direct jobs, and 6700 indirect jobs," she told parliament on Friday.
"They have promised Queensland these jobs are to be local jobs. I expect Adani to live up to that promise.
"They have promised to look after our environment. I'm determined that they will."
Adani Australia chief executive Lucas Dow said there could be up to 1800 ongoing jobs once the company starts exporting coal, expected within two years.
Mr Dow said the company had already invested over $3.5 billion, including renewable energy projects in Australia, the acquisition of Abbot Point port facilities, and the development of the mine and port.
"We've got a further $2 billion now to spend to complete the mine and rail project and we're looking forward to being able to deliver on those jobs," he told the ABC.
He rejected suggestions the mine was only approved because Labor lost the federal election, saying he believed the final approvals it needed would have come soon regardless.
"We would have had them in a similar time frame in any case," he said.
The premier stepped in last month after Labor's defeat at the May 18 federal election, saying voters were fed up with delays to state approvals, and so was she.
She demanded decision time frames be set, and Adani got the two approvals it needed in three weeks, after 18 months of back and forth over its plans to manage groundwater and to protect an endangered bird that lives on the mine site.
The state opposition has painted Deputy Premier Jackie Trad as Adani's biggest foe in the government, accusing her of opposing the mine out of fear of losing her green-minded South Brisbane seat.
Ms Trad hit back on Friday, accusing some LNP members of secretly fearing resources projects in their own electorates.
"They say one thing in their electorate and then they come here and say exactly the opposite," she told parliament.
"As long as it's not in their backyard ... they're all hunky-dory with it. But as soon as it's in their backyard it's 'close the gate, lock the gate'."
Opponents of the mine say politicians have failed them so they will wage a non-violent campaign and brave mass arrests to stop the project.
"Sustained nonviolent tactics like strikes, boycotts, street occupations and blockades will communicate our refusal to ever allow thermal coal mining in the Galilee Basin," says Ben Pennings, a spokesperson for Galilee Blockade.
"Whoever gets contracted to build the Adani mine is a brave company indeed."
Australian Associated Press
