Galilee will be mined, Adani or not

THAT Indian mining giant Adani has consistently been targeted by activists for its mega- mine plans in the Galilee Basin has always been curious given the number of other players with skin in the game.

The anti- Adani campaign has been as well- organised and effective as it has been misguided and misleading.

In order for it to resonate with the Twitter set or the Insta eco hipsters, it had to be simple and punchy. It had to be black and white. And so the misinformation began to seep out into the public domain, even gracing the pages of some mainstream media that should have known better.

It became a narrative about an evil foreign corporation trying to wreck the Great Barrier Reef.

As the sentiment spread, politicians who previously supported the project went weak at the knees.

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan that was to be given to Adani to build its rail line from the Carmichael mine to Abbot Point was knocked on its head by a Queensland Labor Premier so desperate for reelection she was willing to throw North Queensland under a bus.

Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten also took a turn at badmouthing the company for political gain.

But then last week, when the Queensland Premier refused to rule out supporting a NAIF loan for a mining company, just not Adani, we were reminded of the real landscape.

While Adani has reluctantly hogged the limelight, five other potentially massive mines are earmarked for one of the world’s largest untapped coal reserves.

Adani’s progress has slowed recently, with uncertainty over financial backing, but that the Galilee Basin will be mined is a certainty.

That reserve will be opened up; the only question is which giant will be the first to break the seal.