WWF-Australia today called on the Queensland Government to shelve the Abbot Point expansion which risks becoming a ‘white elephant’.
The comments came as a draft Environmental Impact Statement on the controversial project was released for public comment.
“The port expansion is to support Adani’s Carmichael coal project but there is far too much uncertainty surrounding that mine,” said WWF Reef campaigner Richard Leck.
“More and more major banks are saying they won’t be involved with the Carmichael project.
“Queensland Treasury advice, released under freedom-of-information laws, said it was unlikely to stack up on a conventional project finance assessment.
“The only justification for the port expansion is a mine that is looking increasingly doubtful.
“Why risk building a white elephant, that will damage the inshore environment, for a mine that might never happen?
“To expand the port, 61 hectares of seabed will be ripped up creating 1.1 million cubic metres of dredge spoil.
“The destruction doesn’t end there – damaging dredge plumes will be created harming sea grass and potentially reaching nearby reefs,” he said.
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
