Contributed by Ben Wilson

If the Queensland government goes ahead to subsidise the building of Adani’s Carmichael project’s roads to the tune of $100 million, opponents have promised o carry out a campaign, disrupting government events and press and any road works using this money.

This government had promised that no Queensland no public money would go to Adani. Assistance to build these roads is a violation of a major election pledge.

It was the ABC which first reported the proposed subsidy, based on documents obtained under freedom of information laws, which describe ongoing negotiations with the Adani company.

Campaigning had slowed somewhat, because of the promise and the ongoing failure to attract funding has kept the project expansion on hold. This is set to change.

The Galilee Blockade said it would also target any road-building operations and will revisit methods that led to Downer EDL pulling out of a $2.6 billion contract to build and operate the mine. This included Downer’s road building activities.

“Any road builder using our money to help the Adani mine will face the wrath of citizens who have been promised their money won’t be used to help Adani,” said spokesperson for the group, Ben Pennings.

There is growing opinion that Carmichael does not stack up financially and there is speculation that Adani is considering filing for bankruptcy protection, over its Mundra power plant in India, which was shut in February after suffering heavy losses. The Carmichael mine was supposed to supply coal to Mundra. The bottom line is that assistance is being sought to cover costs for this project as well, and there is no assurance that this will happen.

AECOM, the company designing the Carmichael associated rail line, has quit from this part of the project.

Carmichael is on its knees, even if the talk from the company remains upbeat.

It should be enough to dissuade the Queensland government from any attempt to resume its support for Adani, plus the fact that public opinion is against it.