Oz court rules in favour of Adani mine project

Adani Group’s $16.5-billion controversy-hit coal mine project in Australia cleared two more hurdles on Friday with a court dismissing appeals filed by environmentalists and a traditional landowner against the venture.

A full bench of the Federal Court in Brisbane dismissed challenges from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and native title objections from a central Queensland man named Adrian Burragubba.

The court dismissed an appeal by ACF against an earlier federal court ruling that upheld the Federal Environment Minister granting an approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act and Burragubba’s appeal for a judicial review of Native Title Tribunal’s decision to allow the mine to proceed.

Adani, in a statement, said the rulings have reinforced its legal right to develop its Carmichael thermal coal resource. “The decisions are the second and third judicial decisions this week dismissing claims brought by a combination of the dissenting minority of the Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) People and activist groups,” it said.

“These appeals simply tried to delay a project that will create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs,” said Jeyakumar Janakaraj, Adani Australia chief executive officer and country head .