Contributed from Queensland

Brad Fish has been caught out being linked to Adani and he had to undergo “careful isolating”  from official discussions and decisions where “conflicts of interest” might arise.

This is not good enough. You don’t have to be too smart to realise that Brad Fish remained as Adani’s right hand man on the inside. Everyone knows that much of the real decision making comes through informal channels and the use of networks.

The disclosure comes out of documents released under freedom of information that show Brad Fish was a director of Adani’s Abbot Point Operations Pty Ltd, when appointed to his position on the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP). The Corporation  oversees ports at Weipa, Mackay, Hay Point and Abbot Point.

Adani owns terminal one at Abbot Point and is after a second terminal at the site, which will require offshore dredging. He is a key operator who has already shown that he is prepared to go to almost any length to get his way, including providing inducements to those in a position to do him and his companies a favour. The connection with Fish needs to be taken seriously.

This raises questions about how he was appointed. At the very least, scrutiny was insufficient. At the worst, something more sinister is going on. This is something that the Queensland government needs to provide answers to.

The documents show that Fish’s association with Adani was known, when the appointment was announced by Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt, in September 2015.

One of the released documents  shows that before his appointment, Fish disclosed he was a director of Abbot Point Operations and a consultant to Adani Mining, which has dealings with NQBP.

It seems that it was on the basis of this knowledge and the possible fallout if it was made public that a move was made to formally deal with “potential conflict of interest” by putting in place a new “protocol …for the chair” for Fish’s three-year term. Knowledge of Fish’s incriminating position is contained in a letter from Ports Minister Mark Bailey to Curtis Pitt.

Whichever way you look at it, this is corrupt.

A thorough investigation to uncover the extent of the web of deceit and who might have benefited called for. All those connected with this sorry business and guilty of improper behavior should be held to account.