Labor’s wipeout in Queensland in the federal election has forced the state’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to clear the way for the approval of Adani’s controversial $2 billion Carmichael coal mine.
Amid fears her own second-term Labor government could face electoral oblivion by turning its back on blue-collar workers in Central and North Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk has ordered bureaucrats to provide a “definitive timeframe” on approvals for the project by Friday.
“We need some certainty and we need some time frames. Enough is enough,” Ms Palaszczuk said in Mackay on Wednesday.
“I think the federal election was definitely a wake-up call for everyone. I hear that message.”
The declaration by the Queensland Premier clears the way for Adani’s Carmichael project, which has been held up in the courts and approval process for the past 10 years, to be granted final approvals possibly within weeks.