Adani protesters call for business boycott
AS A BAND of protesters urged Toowoomba to boycott Adani’s $16.5 billion mine, more than 200 industry and business leaders gathered to seek out opportunities for the Darling Downs.
Toowoomba Stop Adani co-ordinator Antonia Van Geuns said the group was part of a wider movement against the Carmichael Mine in Central Queensland, and called on Toowoomba to take a stand against its development.
She said a street poll of 170 people in Toowoomba, of which 80 per cent were against the project, sent a message to the region’s business sector.
“That’s a resounding no from Toowoomba,” she said.
The protest was outside the Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise event last night where 235 business and industry leaders were briefed on how Darling Downs operators could get work on the project.
Adani media relations manager Ron Watson said the company had expansion plans in coming years which could open new ventures for the Darling Downs.
“The plan in the next few years is for Adani to expand its operations in this country to include agribusiness and that will mean, for example, the export from Australia (of ) 1.3 million tonnes of chickpeas and similar per year.
“We’ve got two solar farms in Australia at the moment just about to start construction and we are looking for other sites.
“I know the local government areas in this part of the world are very pro-solar farms so we’ll be talking to them and we’ll be talking to local growers in relation to the food supply.”
He said the $30 million Adani airstrip contractor would be announced “very soon” but was unable to confirm if it would go to Wagners.
Mr Watson said the enterprise evening event was closed to media due to “commercial in confidence”.