Hollow boast from Labor candidate

APRIL 7, 2016: Labor’s claim on approving the Carmichael Mine (Bowen Independent, 6/4/16, P8) is a hollow boast, considering Labor are still holding up the approval of the Abbot Point port expansion.The Labor Party ran a half page ad for their candidate in the upcoming federal election but what they failed to mention was they’re still yet to approve the Abbot Point port expansion.In fact Labor’s State Environment Minister Steven Miles is on the record stating he will not issue the Abbot Port approval until Adani has the finance for the project.This stance could put the project at risk because financiers often want to see all government approvals before approving finance.What the Labor candidate has also left out of his ad is that Labor voted in Parliament to reject the Federal Liberal National Government’s laws to strip these extreme green groups of their ability to challenge job-creating projects such as the Carmichael Coal Mine and Abbot Point expansion in the courts.There are currently two court cases against the Adani Carmichael Mine project, and a third possibly waiting in the wings for the Abbot Point expansion.While technically Adani could start work before these court cases are ended, all it would take is for the extreme green litigants to successfully seek an injunction in court and all work would have to be stopped.Adani can’t wait around for another two years; they’ve got to get going next year at the latest.I will be fighting for local jobs by ensuring that these new laws are put before parliament to end the frivolous extreme green legal challenges against the Carmichael Coal Project.My challenge to my Labor opponent is this.Do you support Bowen workers or do you support the extreme greens?If my Labor opponent, and indeed the entire Labor Party, really do support the people of Bowen and the Carmichael Mine and Abbot Point expansion then they will also back these laws.