Contributed by Ugly

The campaign by 160 local Stop Adani groups and 320 actions taken around the country has now resulted in the Queensland premier Palaszczuk, announcing that the state government will not hand over the $1 billion Turnbull government money offered by the Turnbull government to Adani.

The reason is that Labor Party policy has turned and is no longer in support of helping the Carmichael coal mine and other projects associated with it. The money that had been allocated from Canberra was tied to it been passed through the state government.

This is a stunning victory for the biggest environmental movement since the 1980’s.

Nevertheless, the end of the mine is still far from a done deal. Adani’s backers are likely to look for another way.  For the federal government, there is the problem that Adani’s ambitions have been becoming increasingly unpopular. As one after another, the banks pull away from providing loans, it has a further effect. They only do so, because they fear that they will lose customers if they are not seen to act.

But Adani has greased the wheels and it will not be so easy to stop the train. It can be done though. Strong grass roots activity, backed by pressure on politicians, has taken the campaign through a number of breakthroughs. It will continue to do so.

Australia needs to move away from coal. The battle to stop Adani has helped to build public understanding of the menace that this fossil fuel poses for our climate and that it is an immediate and grave threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

The campaign will continue to put pressure against the Carmichael mine and will continue to make a major contribution to building the momentum that will eventually put an end to coal mining in Australia.

Were it not for the success made already, the mining industry would not have found itself having to spend a fortune on an advertising campaign to re-write its image. It now presents itself as a carer of the environment, suggesting that Australian coal actually contributes to emission reduction. The claim might be ludicrous. But it does show just how worried they are.

Opponents of this dirty industry are now in a good position to further the cause. Adani cannot escape this, nor can his backers.