After five days of circulation, a petition organised by a Longreach grazier to rescind the Adani mine’s water licences had received 21,254 signatures.
Undertaken on behalf of Farmers for Climate Action, Angus Emmott’s petition calls on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to rescind the water licences that allow Adani access to unlimited water for 60 years.
Mr Emmott made the comparison between Queensland’s drought conditions, listed on the petition as 90 per cent but now standing at 70pc, and giving access to unlimited groundwater to “an Indian billionaire”.
“Our farming operation is entirely reliant on groundwater,” he said.
“If Adani’s mine messes with our groundwater, we’re finished.
“The state government has also stripped away farmer’s legal rights to appeal the licence, so graziers and farmers can’t even take Adani to court.”
The background for the petition says the water for the mine is free and is expected to draw 26 million litres of water a day from its pits.
“Over its life, this mine alone would total 355 billion litres of water and modelling already demonstrates that two springs will be shut down,” it said.
According to a government spokesman, the licences in question provide the mine with a volume of water that’s about 1 per cent of what farmers are able to use in the Burdekin catchment now.
“Adani has to pay the government more than $20 million before they can use the surface water, and about three times what farmers pay in the area,” he said. “The estimated groundwater take is roughly equivalent to what a 450 hectare cane farm in the Lower Burdekin would use.”
As well as announcing it had begun a petition, the Farmers for Climate Action group said it had signed up to the Stop Adani Alliance because of the water deal.
According to committee member Anika Molesworth, no-one could tell them, with any confidence, what impact the project could have on water supplies from underground aquifers, “because there is no independent or government oversight, or trigger levels that would halt mining”.
According to the statement provided to the Queensland Country Life by the government, Adani has to have make good agreements in place with landholders whose existing water might be affected.
“This project has been through extensive scrutiny by state and federal governments, and the community, during public consultation and in the courts,” it said.
“There are now almost 270 conditions on this project to protect the natural environment and the interests of landholders and traditional owners, including more than 100 relating to groundwater.
“These safeguards will ensure that water resources are protected, and that this critical project progresses sustainably.”
Farmers for Climate Action is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organisation of 2000 farmers and leaders in agriculture committed to tackling climate change.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
