From Natasha Chaku
Melbourne

Australia’s coal-rich Queensland state’s newly elected Premier Annastacia Palaszczu on Tuesday met India’s Adani Group chairman Gautam?Adani, amid a controversy over the group’s 16.5 billion dollars coal mine project in the state.

Adani described his first?meeting with Premier Palaszczu, a Labor Party leader, as warm and productive.

He welcomed her clear commitment to support the jobs and investment the company plans to deliver to the state, on top of the more than 3 billion dollars Adani has invested in its Queensland projects to date.s

“This morning’s meeting is a clear demonstration of the consistent, strong bipartisan support Adani’s projects in Australia have received from both Labor and the LNP, at both the federal and state level,” Adani said.

“Premier Palaszczuk clearly understands the important nation-building role projects such as ours play, and made clear that securing jobs and investment in the state are a priority for her government,” he added.

During the meeting, Adani invited the Premier and her team to visit India to discuss the potential for further advancing closer ties between the state and India, and investment opportunities.

“The clear message we have received from Premier Palaszczuk, Deputy Premier Trad, Treasurer Pitt and Minister Lynham is that this is a government that is committed to developing the state’s economy, by ensuring that significant job-creating projects such as Adani’s are delivered on their watch, in accordance with rigorous environmental standards,” Adani Australia CEO Jeyakumar Janakaraj said.

Adani’s mine, rail and port projects in Queensland ? encompassing the cost-effective, high quality resource at Carmichael, Queensland’s first standard gauge line, the North Galilee Basin Rail connecting Carmichael to the coast, and the port at Abbot Point ? are integral to the company?s plan to build a long term future with Queensland and Australia.

Adani has argued that the mine in the frontier Galilee Basin will create 10,000 jobs and inject 22 billion dollars in taxes and royalties into Queensland’s economy.

The meeting follows the Queensland government’s recent conclusion, as a priority on taking office, of a well-managed and regulated solution for onshore disposal of dredge spoil at Abbot Point.

Unlike Liberal National Party which had supported the Adani’s Carmichael project in the Galilee Basin, the Labor Party has said the project must be self-sustaining and it will not commit any taxpayers money towards it.

-PTI