The Lock the Gate Alliance’s national president, Drew Hutton said the Queensland Government’s approval of the Carmichael mine today was “rushed and risky”.
“This mine is going to lead to a permanent reduction in groundwater and a permanent change in water quality,” Mr Hutton said.
The Independent Expert Scientific Committee (IESC) report in December raised many concerns about the impacts on water resources.
“The questions about the impacts on water are yet to be answered so the Queensland Government has been too hasty in giving this huge mine the tick of approval,” he said.
"Landholders rely on natural springs in the area and numerous endangered and endemic flora and fauna are also under threat.
“The government should insist that India’s Adani Group do a huge amount of work before any further approvals are given, let alone a sod turned.”
Two large dams proposed for either side of the Carmichael River will hold mine-affected water, contaminated with hydrocarbons and suspended solids, which have been assessed as being at high hazard level for over-topping and dam break.
The Coordinator-General’s report makes it clear that the assessment so far carried out for both the Black throated finch, the Waxy Cabbage Palm and the Doongmabulla Springs are not adequate.
Mr Hutton said the mine would clear thousands of hectares of habitat that is "critical to the survival" of the finch.