The Threatened Species Recovery Hub has been picked by the Queensland government to review one of the mine's environmental management plans.

 

"Green activists appear to have hijacked the Queensland Labor government, with the Labor party referring Adani's finch protection plan to a bunch of greenies opposed to the Adani mine," Canavan said in a social media post.

 

"How else could you explain this when the federal government has approved the black throated finch environment plan while the state government drags its heels?"

 

Canavan said Adani's plan would increase the black throated finch's habitat by 30,000ha and had been in the works for more than three years.

 

The federal Department of Environment approved Adani's management plan.

 

Canavan said the Labor party had deserted workers in Queensland's coal industry.

 

"The state government recently waved through a management plan for the finch in regards to the Townsville Ring Road, but has applied a different process for a coal mine," he said.

 

An Adani spokeswoman said: "We hold very serious concerns as to how the Threatened Species Recovery Hub could provide independent advice on the Black-Throated Finch Management Plan when they are outspokenly biased on matters directly related to our project and coal more generally.

 

"On the face of evidence provided and available in the public domain, it is apparent that this hub is compromised and is incapable of providing an independent review.

 

"We are ready to start construction but we need clarity on what's required to finalise these plans and the time frames the department will take to do it."

 

The spokeswoman said the Queensland Department of Environment and Science's decision to refer the black-throated finch management plan to the Threatened Species Recovery Hub was extraordinary, considering it had been reviewing the plan for more than 18 months and had black-throated finch experts on its own staff.

 

"Furthermore the Queensland government has now taken the inexplicable step of commissioning this supposedly independent review on the very same day that the federal Department of Environment and Eergy approved our black throated finch management plan," she said.

 

"The department has not provided any explanation to Adani as to why the review is required, or the final timeframes attached to its completion."

 

Australian Mines and Metals Association acting chief executive Tara Diamond has also slammed the Queensland government's Black Throated Finch move.

 

"Queenslanders deserve a state government that supports its major job-creating industries, not one more interested in appeasing minority activist views and chasing inner city votes at the expense of the regions," she said.

 

"AMMA is very concerned at this latest development, which appears to undermine typical government processes by outsourcing its environmental review responsibilities to an anti-coal activist group.

 

"Adani has repeatedly demonstrated strong compliance with all its environmental management requirements. Not only has it cleared hundreds of regulatory hurdles, it has also contended with vexations ‘lawfare' from a number of disruptive anti-industry groups, which it has an 11-0 record defending."

 

Diamond said this latest "appeasement" of minority anti-industry voices set a disturbing precedent.