Adani’s 21.7 billion dollar coal mine project in Australia on Wednesday faced a fresh legal challenge after traditional owners of land in Queensland state opposed the leases granted to the controversy-hit venture, drawing a sharp reaction from the Indian mining giant which termed it as ‘politically-motivated’.
Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) representative group said it has filed an interlocutory application in the Federal Court of Australia challenging the leases in Queensland's Galilee Basin, a forerunner of further legal action. The application would argue that the mining leases, announced by
Queensland state's mines minister Anthony lynham this month, were not properly issued. “The Queensland government issued the mine leases in the absence of the consent of the W&J people to Carmichael mine, and in the face of their three-time rejection of an Indigenous land Use Agreement (IlUA) with Adani,” a statement said.
In response, Adani Mining Australia said that the W&J group was not a complete representation of the traditional owners of the Galilee Basin. “The proposed action challenging the granting of the leases is being brought by a minority element as opposed to the wider group of 12 authorised applicants of the Wanjan and Jagalingou (W&J) people.