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Heath writes: "Plans to dump 3 million cubic metres of material dredged from the ocean floor into the Great Barrier Reef area will be abandoned under changes to already approved plans to expand the Abbot Point coal terminal in Queensland."

The Great Barrier Reef. (photo: National Geographic)
The Great Barrier Reef. (photo: National Geographic)


Australia Abandons Plans to Dump Waste Into Great Barrier Reef

By Joanna Heath, The Australian Financial Review

02 September 14

 

lans to dump 3 million cubic metres of material dredged from the ocean floor into the Great Barrier Reef area will be abandoned under changes to already approved plans to expand the Abbot Point coal terminal in Queensland.

North Queensland Bulk Ports, GVK Hancock and Adani Group will re-submit a proposal as early as this week to Environment Minister Greg Hunt proposing alternative dumping sites on land. The change is designed to neutralise controversy over potential damage to the reef and avoid a court case launched by the North Queensland Conservation Council.

The fresh proposal will supersede Mr Hunt’s previous approval of dumping the material in the ocean under strict conditions and restart the process, which could delay construction.

Mr Hunt has long been lobbying for the change behind the scenes, according to sources. Last week local Liberal MP George Christensen declared he had “got it wrong” in his support for the expansion project and called on the owners of Abbot Point to look at alternative onshore options.

While he supported the expansion in principle, he was concerned about the impact the court case would have on the long-term viability of the project and said he would listen to ­community concerns.

“I have no doubt that the offshore ­disposal option with the Abbot Point project would be perfectly environmentally sound . . . despite that, I also ­understand that my confidence in the environmental outcome isn’t shared by the tourism industry in the Whitsundays, amongst others,” Mr Christensen said.

Resubmission details not known

The details of the resubmission are not yet known, though sources played down the likelihood that a disused ­saltworks near the north Queensland town of Bowen could be used as a dumping site.

A spokesman for North Queensland Bulk Ports confirmed fresh options for onshore dumping are being considered, but said no decisions had yet been taken. Offshore dumping was the ­original preferred option as it was ­considered the least environmentally invasive, the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Adani Group said the Indian-based company was committed to ensuring the project was achieved with the best outcome for the environment.

“We’ve long said that disposal options will adhere to the best practice and the best science, based on advice from technical experts and approving authorities,” the spokesman said

The change of heart by the consortium behind the expansion will be taken as a victory by environmental groups that have campaigned against the offshore dumping of dredge spoil.

Greens spokeswoman for the environment Larissa Waters said onshore disposal would be a “huge win” for the groups that had campaigned against the expansion but signalled it may not be the end of opposition to the project.

“Onshore disposal of the Abbot Point dredge sludge would be a better outcome environmentally and for the tourism industry than dumping in the Reef’s World Heritage waters,” she said.

“However, the environmental problems of increased shipping through the Reef and the export of millions of tonnes of coal to exacerbate climate change would remain.”

Greenpeace has run a public advertising campaign against the companies involved, and international ice-cream giant Ben and Jerry’s drew attention to the issue by partnering with WWF Australia in its #FightfortheReef campaign.

The international finance world has also been drawn into the fracas, with a campaigner successfully convincing Deutsche Bank in May not to provide funding to the terminal expansion until UNESCO and the Australian government reached agreement over the condition of the Reef.

Adani warned in June it could abandon its plans at Abbot Point if dredging could not be completed before June 30 next year. It hopes to start exporting coal to India from its $16 billion Carmichael mine by 2017.

Mr Hunt approved the consortium’s original dredging application in December and it received the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s stamp of approval in February.

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