Digging In In Politics: New King Coal Guatam Adani

US Feds: Philly officer sold drugs stolen by corrupt Baltimore police squad The Inquirer

Via John Quiggin: "I’ve published a couple of articles. One, in the Guardian , expands the argument of this post on Adani. The other, in The Conversation, is a response to the Turnbull government’s energy policy, which managed some remarkably good press, though that seems to be fading away as the realities become more evident."

A couple of days ago, it was announced that the Fly In Fly Out workforce for Adani’s putative Carmichael mine would be split between Townsville and Rockhampton. Since I’ve long argued that the mine is highly unlikely to go ahead, I didn’t read the news stories closely. So, I missed the fact, buried in the middle of this ABC news report, that the deal requires Townsville and Rockhampton councils to build Adani an airstrip at a cost of $20 million. It turns out that not everyone in Townsville is happy about having their money spent on a project far away from the city.

This outcome is consistent with what I and others have been arguing for some time. Adani has to keep the project alive to avoid recognising the loss of the money its spent so far, and admitting that coal volumes at its Abbot Point port will be far lower than planned. On the other hand, there’s no point throwing good money after bad. So the strategy is to move slowly on the development, building a railway with money from the Commonwealth government and, now, an airstrip paid for by the people of Townsville. When, with much regret, the mine is deferred indefinitely, the Australian public will be the proud owners of a railway to nowhere, with the option of a flight back.

Having argued for some time that Adani’s Carmichael mine-rail-port project is unlikely to go ahead, I was initially surprised to read the announcement that Adani says it will break ground on Carmichael rail link ‘within days’. My mental image was of heavy earthmoving equipment excavating the route along which the line is to be laid. This seemed surprising to me, since there had been no evidence that the project was anywhere near that stage.

But a closer reading suggests that the “ground breaking” is of the kind seen in a typical episode of Utopia, in which lots of dignitaries are presented with shovels and turn over a piece of dirt, to “mark the official start” of the project. That is, presumably, a different “official start” from the one that was marked by another ceremony back in June. Obviously, this ups the pressure on governments to lend public money to the project since a failure to do so would mean abandoning a project that is “officially” under way.

Adani Group - Wikipedia - Catholic, Anglican bishops unite in opposition to Adani mega-mine - Amen

Private dinners, lavish parties and shoulder rubbing. How coal giant Adani charmed Australia's political elite | Environment | The Guardian

Why was Newman handing out billions to an Indian coal mining company that didn't need it? | Richard Denniss | Opinion | The Guardian

In US Mueller team includes 17 seasoned federal prosecutors
“Special counsel Robert Mueller has not publicly uttered a single word about the direction of his high-stakes Russia probe. But the way he’s assigned the 17 federal prosecutors on his team — pieced together by POLITICO from court filings and interviews with lawyers familiar with the Russia cases — gives insight into how he’s conducting the investigation and what might be next. His most experienced attorneys have discrete targets, such as former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and current White House aides. Mueller’s longtime chief of staff is coordinating all the lawyers, including some who cover multiple topics. Select FBI special agents have been tapped to question witnesses…”
How evil is Campbell Newman? | Australian Politics Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

Adani's Carmichael mine: The long, controversial road to approval | SBS News

GetUp! - Stop Campbell Newman funding Adani with your money

Annastacia Palaszczuk's Adani inaction a 'disgrace': Campbell Newman | afr.com - Financial Review


MICHAEL WEST. Why are we still pursuing the Adani Carmichael mine? | John Menadue – Pearls and Irritations

Now Even Conservative Queenslanders Hate The Idea Of Adani Getting Government Handouts - The Huffington Post Australia

Exposed: Adani's horrible history of destruction, fraud and corruption · Our Great Barrier Reef · Australian Marine Conservation Society

The Adani Group's shocking record: legal research brief rings alarm bells for Carmichael mine project | Environmental Justice Australia

"Minister for Adani” is back – and pushing for mega coal mine and new coal generator : RenewEconomy

Australia's reputation faces 'serious' risks if Adani loan goes ahead ...

Adani bought India flights for Queensland mayors of councils paying ...

Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow received more than $1,600 in hospitality gifts from Adani during an official trip to India earlier this year, ...

Per head of population, Australia is already one of the world’s worst carbon polluters. Despite this, our two major political parties – Labor and the Liberal-Nationals – are pushing ahead with the approval of a coal mine in Queensland that will exponentially increase our carbon emissions. The Carmichael mine, proposed by Indian mining giant Adani, will be the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere and annually produce more carbon emissions than a small country. In this special five-part New Matilda series, researchers from the University of Queensland, along with the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council, and Australian Lawyers for Human Rights look at the ‘who, what, when, where and why’ of the proposed Adani Carmichael coal mine, it’s impact on Traditional Owners, the terrible economics that surround it, and our inexplicable march towards climate oblivion. This first introductory piece – the first in our series – is written by University of Queensland researchers Kristen Lyons, Morgan Brigg and John Quiggin.

The Adani Carmichael Coal Mine: Introduction To A Special Five-Part Series - New Matilda

Adani coal mine: Michael Myer, Geoff Manchester oppose project - News.com.au

Carmichael coal mine magnate Gautam Adani: from school dropout to $12bn empire - The Age

Carmichael coal mine magnate Gautam Adani: from school dropout to $12bn empire

The Sydney Morning Herald‎ 

Queenslanders support Labor promise to veto loan to Adani, poll says

Sir John Key goes back to Westminster basics.
Public servants and ministers alike need to respect Westminster traditions — leaks weaken “the bonds of trust and respect” between the two — and go back to the basics of building support for a political agenda, to earn public trust.

How resilient is your reform program to a change in leadership?
Change is inevitable from time to time, perhaps all too often in Australian politics. Designing in resilience in case of a new minister or secretary is a prudent precaution to support outcomes, argues Larry Kamener.

Latest edition of Australia’s policy bible for public servants released.
Coherent, easy to understand explanations of policy in action are an essential resource for anyone working across government. Australia’s favourite guide is now 20 years strong and enters its sixth edition this week. So what’s inside?

Book Review: Reboot – a democracy makeover to empower Australia’s voters.
"Richard Walsh is tackling the core issues head on with some novel ideas on how we, the voters, may get the elected representatives that we deserve, rather than the party delegates who serve us so poorly today." (Pearls and Irritations)