‘History will damn you for generations’: What are Aussies saying about Adani’s mine

Everyday Australians are reacting strongly to an investigation by Australian public broadcaster into Adani Group’s alleged financial, environmental and regulatory wrongdoings over the years.

The Australian Broadcaster Corporation’s (ABC) Four Corners’ documentary aired on Monday featured Indians and Australians, including former environment minister Jairam Ramesh, veteran lawyer Prashant Bhushan and noted critic of the Adani Group Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who shed light on the dealings of the Adani Group and its political clout in India.

While prominent establishments in the Indian media chose to not highlight the Four Corners’ investigation, Australian mainstream and social media was abuzz with reactions on the investigation.

Andrew McAndrew from Darwin urged Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to stop the further development of the Carmichael coal mine.

In an open letter posted on his Facebook, he claimed that the mine would result in complete destruction of millions of acres of farmland and the natural environment. “History will damn you for generations,” he remarked in his passionate post.

Tracey Spicer, an author and columnist from Sydney, tweeted,

Richard Di Natale, Australian Greens Party leader and federal senator highlighted the destructive impact the mine could have on tourism in Queensland,

Richard Woodman, a former airline staffer at Australian airline Qantas, wrote on his Facebook,

A barrister, Andrew Laird, questioned the logic of granting the Adani Group unlimited access to groundwater,

A senior lecturer at Sydney University, David Smith, claimed that the Adani Group was one of the most heavily indebted companies in India.

Several social media users noted that Adani Group’s potential tactic of transferring billions of dollars from Australia into overseas’ offshore accounts may mothball into a national security issue.

A business owner from Brisbane, Luc Coolhandluke Faisal, accused the Queensland government of contemplating “getting in bed with these idiots,” in a seeming reference to the Adani Group.

The ABC investigation can be watched below: