The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched a federal court case against Mr Greg Hunt's approval of the Adani Coal Mine project in Queensland, citing that Mr Hunt did not give enough consideration to the large scale of carbon emissions to be produced by the project, and that effects of these emissions would contribute to serious harm to the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef has world heritage listing, which was supported and argued for by the Australia government, and therefore it is directly responsible for protecting it.  Warming and Ocean acidification are harmful to the ecosystems and structures of the reef, and are a direct consequence of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. 

In an interview on ABC Lateline 9:30 pm, on 9th November 2015, the ACF president Geoff Cousins described Mr Malcolm Turnbull as being "wrong", on the question of the Indian Government "needing our coal" to boost the welfare and prosperity of Indians. The Indian Minister for energy has stated that it is India's intentions to stop buying Australian Coal, within a few years, and that the distributed energy needs of India were best served by investment in clean energy, including PV Solar, supplemented by new technologies of battery storage. 

Large scale central power stations with a grid electricity distribution system are uneconomic and unsuitable for India, because the scale of investment of required for grid wiring to many scattered communities is prohibitively unaffordable.  Portable and affordable clean energy technology is still getting better every day. India, like every other developing nation,  needs to reduce its carbon emissions. Climate change brings unwelcome challenges to food production in India.

Mr Cousins described Mr Adani as "being a wealthy individual, who has figured that he will be somehow able to make some money out of extracting and using Australian coal", and that his interests cannot be said to be representative of the interests of Indians as a whole.  Mr Adani has been described as having a very bad environmental record in India, which has been part of his path to wealth acquisition.

Personally I have the strong view  that the "36 strict conditions" are a form of un-policed eco-fraud, designed to pull the wool over the Australian public's eyes. Damage from coal mining and carbon emissions, is already more or less proven to be irreversible and unrepairable.

Species extinctions and water systems damages are irrepairable.  There is no amount of money existing in the world that can buy repair any failure of one of the governments "strict" conditions. There is no indication that the Adani corporation can be trusted to meet any one of them, that they have the necessary expertise or funds available that will subtract from their narrow profit marings, or that the conditions are ecologically realistic. 

There is no amount of money in the world that can restore the great barrier reef from additional increases in carbon emissions, or compensate for failures of the Australian government to play a sufficiently active global advocate for carbon emission reductions. 

Mr Malcolm Turnbull has moral duty to stop this mine.  The mine project is all about getting immorally large amounts money for a rich unscrupulous man. He is being helped by the greed and complicity of pro-business and jobs politicians , from the LibLab parties, who only see the short term benefits for themselves. This needs to be tested in court, against the incremental and cummulative carbon emissions, which have serious and harmful global circumstances for the future existance of all species, because our politicians have failed us.

Bill Shorten, as leader of the opposition, has a moral responsibility to strongly oppose this mine. Failure do so implies immoral complicity with the "Coal Oncelers".  Mr Shorten has so far been reticent and on the whole, rather approving of the current processes for the mines approval.

"I believe the job of the leaders of this nation is to create an atmosphere or an environment which enables business investment whilst getting the balance with keeping a sustainable environment." - Bill Shorten washes his hands of the Adani Project.

Blocking Adani coal mine approval 'dangerous' for Australia, 'tragic' for world: Tony Abbott

How is starting a gigantic new coal mining helping to keep a sustainable environment, Mr Shorten?

Judging by the reactions reported on the ABC web site article, there are a lot of rich short termers ("Oncelers") that feel threatened by the ACF law suit.  As for the complaints of "delaying tactics", the ACF suit strikes at the central issue, that the LNP conservative government, and other "Oncelers" have tried so hard to avoid.

Mr Cousins said the ACF believed that the legal action has a strong case, and that the ACF had only brought 7 other important legal cases in its 50 year history.

Link:

Australian Conservation Foundation challenges Adani's Carmichael coal mine in Federal Court

It must be obvious by now, that the Australian government  and financial elites are more afraid of "Capital Flight" and desirous of good inflows of Business Money to Australia, than doing anything towards "Genuine Direct Mitigation" for the challenges of global warming.

This is typical story of trying to save capitalism while destroying the natural world our survival depends on. I cannot wait to read the sound and fury in the Australia Newspaper.