Carmichael mine jumps another legal hurdle, but litigants are making headway

Dr Justine Bell-James.

The Carmichael coal mine planned for Queensland’s Galilee Basin has cleared another legal hurdle, with the state’s Supreme Court dismissing a legal challenge to the validity of the Queensland government’s decision to approve the project.

The court found in favour of the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, ruling that its approval of Indian firm Adani’s proposal was within the rules.

The decision is another setback for environmentalists’ bid to stop the controversial project. But Adani does not yet have a green light to break ground on the project, and legal questions still remain, both about this project and about climate change litigation more generally.

Read The Conversation story by a Lecturer in Law at The University of Queensland, Justine Bell-James - “Carmichael mine jumps another legal hurdle, but litigants are making headway.”