Resources and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the government would consider using funds from the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility on Galilee Basin coal projects, which could include a railway line from the proposed Carmichael Mine to Abbot Point.

“It makes no sense at all to try to prop up this failed venture with taxpayers' money. Commercially, it’s a total flop and a bad investment," said Shani Tager, Greenpeace Australia Pacific's Reef Campaigner.

"This project has no investors, globally coal prices are falling and 14 international banks won’t touch it. It would cost $16.5bn to build and Adani doesn’t have the money," she said.

“Minister Frydenberg’s comments and the NAIF don’t reflect the new economic direction that Prime Minister Turnbull is setting. This is a fund for projects that are economically unviable and taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be used to prop up coal projects.”

Ms Tager said spending NAIF money on Carmichael would not bring in millions of dollars to Australia via royalties and taxes. Adani’s structure means profits would go offshore and taxes paid to Australia would be minimised.  

“Spending Australian taxpayer funds to help a foreign company develop a dirty industry that threatens the Reef illustrates how dangerously one-eyed the federal government is when it comes to the coal industry.

“It makes no sense to build infrastructure for a mine that in all likelihood won’t happen and should never happen. Dredging endangers the Reef’s World Heritage area and carbon pollution endangers the climate - the biggest threat to the Reef.

"Environmentally, it’s a massive carbon bomb that threatens the Great Barrier Reef, and socially it’s irresponsible.

“It completely fails the triple bottom line. There is simply no good reason to develop Carmichael," she said.

ENDS

“We are still tracking the Shuen De Ching No.888 and we have supplied all our information to the nations where the ship might pull into their ports, including Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Fiji.

“We think it is vital for Pacific nations to investigate this ship to show that illegal fishing will not be tolerated, particularly as the region tries to develop a sustainable fisheries industry,” said Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Global Tuna campaigner from aboard Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior ship.

The call follows a Greenpeace East Asia protest in front of the TFA headquarters in Taipei today over the agency’s move to effectively reward an illegal fishing operation. Greenpeace East Asia had reported details of the pirate operation to the TFA as soon as Greenpeace activists on the Rainbow Warrior boarded the Shuen De Ching on Wednesday and confirmed it did not have a fishing license.

Frances Lo, Greenpeace East Asia’s Taipei office campaigner, said that instead of responding, the TFA appeared to have used the information supplied by Greenpeace to retrospectively legalise the vessel and backdate the license to April.

“Greenpeace has comprehensive documentation of the case of Shuen De Ching No.888 and authorities must take action,” said Ms. Lo.

“The Taiwan Fisheries Agency ignored Greenpeace’s constructive effort and support. Instead, they chose to protect the vessel and cover up its illegal fishing. This will seriously affect Taiwan’s international reputation, and it could lead to international sanctions.

“We demand that the government orders this illegal vessel to stop fishing and return to port immediately for a full and transparent investigation.

“Although the TFA has said it will follow up on the vessel’s illegal shark finning, the reality is it may use the investigation to further delay and cover up the problem,” she said.

ENDS

“Mr. Turnbull has repeatedly endorsed climate change science and has a deep understanding of the threats posed by climate change and global warming. We urge him to act on his own convictions and review Australia’s embarrassing and deficient climate change and environmental policies,” said Mr Ritter.

“Key amongst this would be a new commitment to transitioning Australia’s economy to renewable energy, which would also lead to job creation, while phasing out reliance on dirty fossil fuels.

“Australia once led internationally on tackling climate change, but Tony Abbott profoundly weakened this position by tainting economic policy with fossil fuel industry interests, and repeated attempts to destroy our renewable energy sector.

“Polling consistently showed that Mr. Abbott was out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Australians, who think the government should do more to address climate change. 

“Now that Mr. Turnbull has won the endorsement of the Liberal Party, he has an opportunity to do the right thing, and we look forward to a more inclusive approach towards civil society where environmental and social policies are concerned,” he said.

ENDS

The Government of the Nauru issued the ban on transshipping in its waters outside its port, and is calling on other Pacific Island Nations to do the same. A regular industry practice that is largely unmonitored, transshipping involves fishing vessels - longliners - transferring their catch to ‘motherships’ to be taken and sold in far-away markets. This means that boats can stay out at sea for years, evading checks on their fishing practices and licenses, and the treatment of their crew.

“Today’s announcement by Nauru is a shining example of the action that needs to be taken urgently to protect our Pacific Islands,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific oceans campaigner Lagi Toribau from aboard the Rainbow Warrior.

“The longline industry is chronically unregulated and poorly monitored, and the high seas are currently acting as loopholes for pirate fishing boats.

“Out here, overfishing is the norm. Many tuna stocks are already in trouble, and illegal fishing is only adding to that pressure,” he said.

Nauru is the third Pacific country to ban the practice of transshipping, and their announcement is in response to last week’s bust by the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior of a Taiwanese longline boat fishing illegally in the high seas that border Nauru’s national waters.

Greenpeace is calling for a complete overhaul of longline fisheries, including a ban on transshipping catch, to bring them under better control and proper management. There are more than 3,500 longline vessels currently authorised to fish by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

“If fishing vessels had to go to land to transfer their catch, it would solve many of the problems out here in the Pacific. It would make it easier to properly account for and manage these catches, and also boost the economies of Pacific Island countries where the catches come from.

“If the fishing industry is above board, they should have no problem with this solution. We need to put a stop to hiding dirty fishing practices out at sea.

“Although more than 70 percent of the world’s tuna comes from the Pacific, only 20 percent of that is actually caught by Pacific Island fleets. Industrial fishing has a huge impact on the Pacific Island countries that have relied on tuna for generations,” said Toribau.

In Fiji, local fishing vessels are mothballed and workers have been laid off. Local fisheries in Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Island nations are also suffering.

Nauru’s ban on transshipping in its national waters is the latest in a series of important steps forward for the future of Pacific tuna stocks, which are declining at a rapid rate.

Greenpeace is calling on the Pacific Tuna Commission to adopt rules for the high seas that are compatible with those put in place by Pacific Island countries. This means the more countries that declare transshipping bans in their waters, the stronger the impetus for the high seas to also be closed to the practice.

ENDS

Greenpeace activists boarded the Taiwanese-flagged tuna longliner, Shuen De Ching No.888, in the high seas close to Papua New Guinea yesterday, and found it had no fishing license. The Rainbow Warrior is still tracking the ship, which remains in the same area.

“Pacific Island leaders have already prioritised and agreed to discuss sustainable fisheries management this week in Port Moresby, which we welcome. But more needs to be done urgently to bring illegal catches under control,“ said Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Global Tuna campaigner.

"This case will be a test for our leaders as it is an illegal Taiwanese vessel caught red-handed in the high seas pocket that borders three of the Pacific’s productive fishing grounds between Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and Nauru.

“It shows the extent to which illegal fishing is out of control in the high seas, and that more needs to be done to help Pacific nations with enforcement,” Toribau said.

Toribau and other Greenpeace activists uncovered sacks containing 75 kilograms of shark fins on board the vessel which would have come from at least 42 shark carcasses. However, only three shark carcasses were reported in the ship’s log book. Under Taiwanese law and Pacific fishing rules, shark fins may not exceed 5 per cent of the weight of the shark catch, putting the vessel in clear violation of the laws.

Greenpeace reported the case to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and neighbouring Pacific Island countries.

Greenpeace also informed Taiwan’s Fishery Agency that the ship was fishing illegally, but received no response. Greenpeace activists have since learned through the WCPFC that the Taiwan Fishery Agency retrospectively rushed through the fishing authorisation paperwork for the Shuen De Ching No.888 when Greenpeace flagged its illegal activity.

Toribau said Greenpeace is documenting the case, and is demanding that Taiwanese authorities take action against the Shuen De Ching No.888.

“The Taiwanese Government must order this illegal vessel to stop fishing and return to port immediately for a full and transparent investigation. There is a Taiwanese patrol boat in the region and this is exactly the sort of illegal activity they should be tackling,” he said.

Toribau said illegal fishing operations such as this are leading to sharp declines in tuna levels.

“What we’re witnessing right now is just the tip of the iceberg. The true extent of the Pacific tuna plunder remains hidden by vessels like this one, operating hundreds of miles from shore.

“The longline industry is chronically unregulated and poorly monitored. Overfishing is the norm, and illegal fishing adds further pressure to tuna stocks that are already in trouble,” he said.

Overfishing has pushed many species into dangerous decline, impacting on Pacific Island countries that have relied on tuna for generations. In Fiji, local fishing vessels are mothballed and workers have been laid off.

Local fisheries in Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Island nations are also suffering. Although more than 70 per cent of the world’s tuna comes from the Pacific, only 20 per cent of that is actually caught by Pacific Island fleets.

Longliners are the most prevalent type of fishing vessel operating in this part of the Pacific Ocean, and there are more than 3,500 of the vessels currently authorised to fish in the region.

“Longline fishing is well and truly out of control,” Toribau said. “Lines covered with thousands of baited hooks and up to 170 kilometres (105 miles) long are deployed by vessels. Tuna species are the target, but other ocean creatures like sharks and turtles get caught on the lines. Every year around 300,000 sea turtles and at least 160,000 sea birds die on longlines."

The problem with longline fishing is further exacerbated because these vessels are able to transship, a process where a fishing vessel transfers its catch to a massive reefer, or mothership, at sea.

Toribau said tuna fisheries are urgently in need of effective management and control, which must include an immediate ban on transshipping at sea, and the closure of the high seas pockets, known as the Pacific Commons, to all fishing.

“If fishing boats have nothing to hide they should have no problem landing or transferring their catches in port, where the fish can be accounted for properly,” he said. “Illegal behavior has been hidden out at sea for too long. It’s time for fisheries to clean up, step up and be responsible. If they don’t, there will be no tuna left.”

ENDS

"Australia and New Zealand have shown themselves to be the worst of neighbours with their self-serving approach to climate change. They will be remembered for their callousness in the face of the grave threats facing Pacific islands, as people are forced to leave their land and lose their livelihoods through climate change," said Mr Ritter.

"Australia and New Zealand have inadequate national targets are, they are frustrating global talks, they are beholden to big polluters - and now they are blocking a united Pacific voice."

The Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Port Moresby is expected to issue a declaration on climate change today calling for global warming to be limited to 2 degrees ahead of the Paris climate talks. The 2C target is championed by Australia and New Zealand, who have ignored pleas from Pacific Island nations for a limit of 1.5 degrees, seen as a minimum to help mitigate the impact of climate change on the islands.

"Eight of 20 of the nations that stand to lose the most economically from natural disasters are in the Pacific region. Low-lying nations like Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands face being rendered completely uninhabitable by rising sea levels.

“Pacific countries are determined to fight for justice, for a fair go from the world community and for the future survival and prosperity of their people. But Pacific island countries are being betrayed by their neighbours, Australia and New Zealand,” Mr Ritter said.

Mr Ritter reacted strongly to news that Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, celebrated their success in cementing the 2 degree limit in the Pacific leaders’ declaration.

"The idea that Tony Abbott and John Key would sit down for a beer to celebrate their efforts at bullying some of the smallest, most vulnerable nations in the world is frankly revolting,” he said.

Earlier this week, Mr Ritter was in Port Moresby as part of a Pacific civil society forum which supported demands for strong, urgent action on climate change.

ENDS

The meeting of a committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WFPFC), which ended yesterday, set aside a proposal from the Cook Islands for a ban on transferring catch - a process known as transshipment.

“Transhipping is acknowledged as a major problem for Pacific nations trying to sustainably manage their fish stocks and keep local fishing industries alive,” said Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Oceans Campaigner.

“Instead of addressing the urgent need to stop this practice, this WFPFC meeting set aside a Cook Islands proposal for a transshipment ban in the Eastern High Seas Pocket to be dealt with at another time.

“This area of high seas enclosed by the Cook Islands, Kiribati and French Polynesia is a hotspot for unsustainable and illegal fishing, but transshipment on the high seas affects all Pacific economies.

“Pacific nations such as Nauru have already announced bans on transshipment in their waters, and it’s time for the WFPFC to adopt a more regional approach to this issue.

“Just before this meeting, Greenpeace busted a Taiwanese-flagged pirate fishing vessel off the waters of Papua New Guinea with tuna and shark fins. What this ship was doing is only a fraction of the illegal fishing activity that is going on.

“The full WFPFC will hold its annual meeting at the end of November, and we urge its nation members to stop dragging their feet on greater regional cooperation to end this highly damaging practice,” said Mr. Toribau.

Transhipping at sea is one of the main ways pirate fishers are able to avoid detection and launder their catch.

Fishing vessels can remain at sea for months at a time resupplying, refueling and even changing their crew. Transferring their catch at sea allows pirate fishers to launder their illegal fish by mixing it with legally caught fish.

ENDS

A precursor to an import ban, the ‘yellow card’ issued by the European Union to Taiwan for failing to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, comes after Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior busted a pirate Taiwanese tuna vessel off Papua New Guinea waters three weeks ago in an example of the lack of control over Taiwanese fishing vessels.

“With the biggest tuna fleet in the Pacific, Taiwan’s fisheries problem is that there are too many boats flying its flag and too little control. Taiwan must clean up its fisheries management, or risk the international embarrassment and economic consequences of an import ban,” said Ning Yen, Greenpeace East Asia Oceans Campaigner.

“We need to see an improvement in Taiwan’s monitoring and surveillance systems, transparent prosecution of lawbreakers, a reduction in its fishing capacity, and support for international conservation measures,” she said.

Taiwan now has six months to bring its fisheries management and vessel control policies in line with international standards, or it risks a ‘red card’ blacklisting and an import ban on fisheries products to the EU, the world’s largest market for such products.

Yen said the yellow carding highlighted significant failings in Taiwan fisheries management, especially in the oversight of its distant water fleet. Management, monitoring and surveillance of more than 1200 Taiwanese small boats, mainly fishing on the high seas in the Pacific, are a massive challenge.

“Taiwan’s fisheries are out of control, and as profit margins fall, the industry is increasingly reckless and ruthless, breaking the law and exploiting fishermen.

“Too often, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency has let off or played down IUU cases. This can’t be tolerated any longer,” said Ms Yen.

ENDS

“We are not opposed to freeing up international trade, but we are concerned that without proper transparency, the TPP may lead to worse social and environmental outcomes.

“We are calling on the government to make public the text of the agreement, so we can properly assess its impact on Australia.

“From what little detail has been leaked, we are concerned over a provision allowing multinational corporations to challenge domestic regulations and court rulings before special tribunals.

“This could mean, for example, that if an Australian court decided that a mining project was environmentally hazardous and therefore should not be approved, a multinational backer could seek to overturn that decision in a special tribunal.

“The inclusion of so-called investor state dispute settlement clauses gives special legal rights to foreign investors, which could see our government being sued for, say, stopping the pollution of our rivers if these companies think it would undermine their profits.

“Transparency on this deal is long overdue, and until we can see this text, speculation about the benefits of the deal, and its possible problems, will continue.”

ENDS

“The latest revelation that the polluting Volkswagen diesel cars are being sold in Australia is a warning signal to us all to be more vigilant about emissions standards. However, the government’s concern over the sale of these cars rings hollow, given Australia’s emissions standards seriously lag those of other developed nations,” said Nikola Casule, Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s climate and energy campaigner.

“The United States has some of the highest emissions standards globally for limiting smog-causing nitrogen oxide and other harmful vehicle pollutants, with Europe far behind.

“Australia adopts European emissions standards, but we are moving at a snail’s pace in terms of implementation. So far, we have also put caveats on these standards, like excluding limits on how much particulate matter is emitted, or the monitoring of nitrogen oxide levels.

“And unlike many other developed nations like the US or Japan, Australia doesn’t have compulsory standards for carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy for light vehicles.

“Most Australians would be shocked to find out that we don’t have mandatory fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions standards, especially since light vehicles make up one-tenth of our overall greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr Casule said.

Dr Casule said Labor and Liberal governments had not acted on ongoing calls, the most recent from the Climate Change Authority in 2014, for Australia to introduce mandatory limits on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy standards for light vehicles. These include passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles such as vans and pickup trucks.

“While the US and European Union regulate greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment, Australia once again is in the stone ages where this is concerned.

“Australia’s target for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and its weak Direct Action Plan to tackle climate change are already an international embarrassment.

“Now is the most opportune time to adopt best practice standards on limiting pollutants and greenhouse gases that will protect our environment and health, and help prevent scandals like Volkswagen’s happening again in Australia,” said Dr Casule.

Background:

Regulation of vehicle pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter):

Current US vehicle emissions standards limit nitrogen oxide emissions to 0.07 grams per mile(0.043 g/km), while the EU has adopted its Euro 6 standard, limiting nitrogen oxide emissions to 0.08 g/km for new light diesel vehicles.

Australia has partially adopted the Euro 5 standard that only limits nitrogen oxide emissions to 0.18 g/km for new light diesel vehicles. It intends to adopt Euro 6 by July 2018, lagging in implementation by 3-4 years.

Regulation of carbon dioxide/greenhouse gas emissions:

The US, Canada, the EU, Japan and Korea all have mandatory light vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards. Australia does not.

“This extreme coral bleaching event is devastating news for all of us, and should be setting off alarm bells in the Turnbull government because the health of the Great Barrier Reef is already of major international concern.

“Besides agricultural run-off, the Reef is under threat from proposed dredging to expand the coal terminal at Abbot Point, and to build the massive Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. These are environmental disasters in waiting that will only serve to push the Reef over the cliff.

“With a range of practical solutions in sight to protect the Reef like stopping the ailing Carmichael mine project, it would be madness for the government to insist on further coal-related activity near this World Heritage-listed site.

“It is clear that strong and immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change will help preserve the health of the Reef.

“The Turnbull government has an opportunity to change the course of this environmental disaster by permanently withdrawing its approval for the Carmichael mine as a starting point.

“Coal mining is an industry that no longer makes any economic sense, and we can chart its death daily with the closure of coal mines and sliding coal prices. We urge Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to follow through on his support for renewable energy and preserve our environmental heritage,” said Ms Gibson.

ENDS

“We welcome indications the government has come to its senses and decided not to use taxpayers’ money on the Carmichael coal mine, which is a total flop and financially risky.

"This project has no investors, globally coal prices are falling and 14 international banks won’t touch it. Minister Frydenberg’s comments today show that the government is finally considering the public interest when it comes to this failing coal project.

“That the government under Tony Abbott had been considering the use of the NAIF for Carmichael infrastructure shows the extent of the fossil fuel lobby’s influence on policy decisions.

“We already know the Great Barrier Reef will suffer damage under a global coral bleaching event. To put the Reef under more stress with proposed dredging to expand the coal terminal at Abbot Point and build the Carmichael mine would only serve to push the Reef over the edge.

“It makes no sense to build infrastructure for an environmentally devastating mine that in all likelihood won’t happen, and should never happen," Ms Gibson said.


ENDS

The Senate inquiry into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Amendment Bill 2015 was due to report back yesterday on its findings, but has been given an extension until February 2016.

“This bill is clearly unpopular with Australians because it targets the legal rights of communities and groups that are working to protect our environment. This postponement shows that the Turnbull government is looking for a graceful exit from it,” said Nikola Casule, Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“Not only is the bill unpopular, we know that the government doesn’t have enough support in the Senate to get it passed. The Turnbull government needs to show some courage, stop wasting taxpayers’ money and scrap the bill altogether.

“This bill is a vindictive, knee-jerk reaction borne of the previous Abbott government’s frustration over not being able to approve the environmentally disastrous Carmichael coal mega-mine.

“Instead of this attempt to save face, there should be recognition that Adani’s Carmichael coal mine project is becoming increasingly irrelevant to Australia’s economic future by the day,” said Dr Casule.

Attorney-General George Brandis in August announced an amendment to the EPBC Act that would remove the right of third party individuals or groups to challenge environmental approvals for large projects such as mines.

The move came after a court challenge from the Mackay Conservation Group forced Environment Minister Greg Hunt to withdraw environmental approval for the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland because he had not adequately considered its impact on local wildlife species.


ENDS

“Carmichael would be a complete disaster for the climate and the Great Barrier Reef,” said Greenpeace campaigner Shani Tager. “The federal government and Environment Minister should be in the business of protecting the Reef and the climate, not giving mining companies licence to destroy them.

“This project means more dredging in the Great Barrier Reef, more ships through its waters and more carbon emissions.”

Re-issuing the approval for the Carmichael mega mine is a bad idea on every level, but it doesn’t mean the project is any closer to happening, Tager said.

“We are appalled that the Australian federal government has chosen to reapprove the Carmichael project, but the reality is that Adani are a long way from getting the mine operational,” said Ms Tager.

“And that’s not surprising because it fails the triple bottom line — it would be an environmental disaster for the climate and the Great Barrier Reef, it would not make a profit, and it does not have social licence from the community.    

“It’s a dangerous pipedream. Fortunately for the Reef, and the climate, Carmichael has been rejected by 14 major banks, Queensland’s treasury department has described the project as “unbankable” and no other investors are prepared to get behind a project that needs $16.5 billion.”

“We are not opposed to freeing up international trade, but we are concerned that without proper transparency, the TPP may lead to worse social and environmental outcomes.

“We are calling on the government to make public the text of the agreement, so we can properly assess its impact on Australia.

“From what little detail has been leaked, we are concerned over a provision allowing multinational corporations to challenge domestic regulations and court rulings before special tribunals.

“This could mean, for example, that if an Australian court decided that a mining project was environmentally hazardous and therefore should not be approved, a multinational backer could seek to overturn that decision in a special tribunal.

“The inclusion of so-called investor state dispute settlement clauses gives special legal rights to foreign investors, which could see our government being sued for, say, stopping the pollution of our rivers if these companies think it would undermine their profits.

“Transparency on this deal is long overdue, and until we can see this text, speculation about the benefits of the deal, and its possible problems, will continue.”

ENDS

Television presenter and former chef and food critic Matthew Evans, delivered the petition to Senators Nick Xenophon and Peter Whish-Wilson this morning, calling for more information about what type of fish they are eating and where it was caught or farmed.

“There are many concerns associated with fish and seafood catch, including whether it was sustainably caught, or if it came from a country that has a record of labour abuses,” said Nathaniel Pelle, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“Matthew Evans, a food industry veteran, knows exactly what consumers, restaurants and local fisheries want. His petition shows Australians don’t like being kept in the dark about what fish they’re eating and where it comes from.

“In August, the Coalition government voted down a bill by Senator Nick Xenophon on better seafood labelling that had cross-bench support, knowing that Australian consumers want more information about what they eat.

“The food industry lobby, led by the Restaurant and Caterer’s Association, has pressured the government against adopting a better labelling regime, and their efforts are holding Australia back from global best practice for seafood labelling,” said Mr. Pelle.

This petition follows a Label My Fish Alliance campaign demanding new Australian labelling laws like those in the EU, requiring labelling of what fish we're eating, its origin and how it was caught or farmed. Members back clearer labelling in fish shops, takeaways and restaurants to protect the environment, boost the Australian fishing industry and protect public health.

Earlier this a year a joint statement signed by 16 environment organisations and Australian seafood industry bodies called for use of the Australian Fish Names Standard to be mandated and country of origin labelling to be extended into food service.

Prominent individuals backing the campaign include actor Richard Roxburgh, Quay Chef Peter Gilmore, MoVida chef and owner Frank Camorra, the NY Times best-selling author of ‘I Quit Sugar’, Sarah Wilson, and numerous Australian fishing industry members.


ENDS

The conditions on the approval allow the company to change their management plans, designed to mitigate the environmental impact of the proposed coal mine, by simply notifying the Environment Department. The original approval required ministerial approval for the company to change their plans.

"You have to wonder, was it the Environment Department or Adani who wrote these conditions?" said Greenpeace Reef Campaigner,  Shani Tager.

"Minister Hunt's conditions on the approval of the Carmichael mine are the same as handing the company a blank cheque and hoping they'll do the right thing.

"This is the biggest coal mine proposed for Australia, yet there is a complete absence of scrutiny by Minister Hunt, since Adani no longer needs ministerial approval to re-write their plans.

"Instead of 36 strict conditions, we've seen a weakening of requirements in relation to the Carmichael megamine and a loophole big enough for a dragline to fit through," said Ms Tager.

The proposed Carmichael coal mine covers 28,000 hectares in central Queensland, will be responsible for 120 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and require millions of tonnes of seafloor in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to be dredged.

ENDS