RTR3KP91
IN PHOTO: Workers arrive to work at Mundra Port Coal Terminal in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 2, 2014. The way billionaire Indian infrastructure-builder Gautam Adani sees it, working with the government does not make him a crony-capitalist. Adani's rapid ascent to the top tier of Indian business is often associated with the rise of Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist opposition leader widely expected to become India's next prime minister once the country's election ends next month. Its flagship Adani Enterprises soared 22.9 percent for its biggest daily gain on Thursday and has nearly doubled since the start of February, compared with a nearly 20 percent gain in the infrastructure index. Picture taken April 2, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave

Prime Minister Tony Abbott criticised the federal court for blocking approval of Adani’s Carmichael coal mine, saying that the “project was too important to be hindered by red tape.” It has been reported that Adani group has already spent AU$3 billion on the project.

On Thursday, the federal court announced dismissal of the project after it was found Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt had not paid attention to the advice provided about the yakka skink and the ornamental snake.

He said that it was extremely frustrating to witness projects as important as these could be prevented from being constructed. It is not only “dangerous” for the country but also “tragic for the wider world,” he said. He suggested that once the projects were found to be in compliance with the high environmental standards, it should be given a green light.

Considering that complying with the environmental standards was the priority, he also stressed on the importance of the project as it would create more than 10,000 jobs in Queensland and elsewhere in the country. Although he agreed that people have all the right to file a petition at the court against a decision, yet going against an AU$21 billion investment was deemed unfit by him.

He spoke on the positive aspects of the Adani mine, which would not only benefit the workers of the Australians but also thousands back in India who didn’t even have electricity at homes. "Imagine what it's like to live in the modern world with no electricity,” he said

Abbott believed that the Adani mine could help Indians residing in remote villages get electricity from Australian resources and that it was better for the environment than any alternative at the moment.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also felt that the Adani mine project could have been welcomed by Australia as there is a need for foreign investors in the country. She believed that projects like Adani mine should be allowed while ensuring that it matches the environmental standards.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called for proper process to be followed to maintain a balance between business investment and a sustainable environment. He believed that it was wrong for the job leaders to present themselves as "smarter than business or indeed smarter than the courts.”

However, Hunt claimed that declining the project was not a big deal and the Department of the Environment confirmed the minister would get more than a month’s time to reconsider its decision according to the advice.

Environmental Defenders Office principal solicitor Sue Higginson, who represents the Mackay Conservation Group that posed the challenge to the mine, said the project which was once considered the biggest one in Australia, was now in a state of legal uncertainty.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below

RELATED STORIES