Mine protest’s big bill

Cairns police needed to sort Adani issue

CAIRNS-BASED specialist police were forced to travel to Adani’s remote Carmichael mine site to remove two protesters from a tree and their services came with a hefty bill to taxpayers, Burdekin MP Dale Last says.

On Wednesday, two men suspended themselves from a tree tied off to two drill rigs shutting work at the controversial Carmichael mine site about 750km south of Cairns .

Mr Last has claimed specialised officers were forced to travel to the remote site in central Queensland which cost about $10,000 to remove the Victorian activists.

The former police officer claims this took into account wages, travelling allowance, overtime accommodation and vehicle costs.

Mr Last said the use of specialised officers from Far North Queensland to deal with Wednesday’s incident came at “a cost which is ultimately worn by the taxpayers of this state”.

“We’ve got a legitimate business that’s commenced business at Carmichael mine site,” he said.

``It’s created hundreds of new jobs, it’s pumping a lot of money into our region and these protesters are putting all that in jeopardy.

Mr Last said police in the region were frustrated by the number of incidents and described it as a drain on resources and a safety issue.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman confirmed specialised police travelled from Cairns and successfully freed the activists.

The men have since been charged over the incident and will appear in Bowen Magistrates Court next month.

Mackay Police District Inspector Ian Haughton said the impact on business was minimal to date. “The police are committed to providing a response to complaints, no matter where those complaints are,” he said.

The incident was one of three at the site last week that disrupted work. On Thursday, 30 people including young children disrupted work at the mine, while on Friday a group of 20 protesters blocked access at the Adani work camp.