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Annastacia Palaszczuk and regional Queensland mayors have inspected Adani's home port. (Twitter: Annastacia Palaszczuk)
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and a group
of regional mayors hope their visit to India will help convince Adani to
go ahead with the $21.7 billion Carmichael coal mine.
They and
the company's Australian head said the jobs the mine would create and
its economic benefits outweighed environmental concerns, and dismissed
protesters' promise to disrupt it.Opponents accused them of wasting taxpayers money on a junket, but Gladstone mayor Matt Burnett flatly rejected that view.
He said he had constituent support to prove it.
"You have a look on my social media if you don't believe me, have a look at all the 'good on ya Matty, go over there, we need these jobs, we need these jobs'," Mr Burnett said.The proposed mine for remote central Queensland consists of six open-cut pits and up to five underground mines.
Coal from the mine would come to Mundra, India, where Adani Australia boss Jeyakumar Janakaraj said it would help electrify the homes of millions of people who still do not have power.
But while coal was the reason they had come, a tour of Adani's cooking oil and solar panel factories had Ms Palaszczuk suggesting other opportunities await if the mine gets going.
"Not just coal, we're here to look at the agribusiness and also the solar," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Environmental opposition to the project remains vehement, primarily on the ground emissions from coal fuels climate change, which threatens the Great Barrier Reef and the tourism industry.
Protesters disrupted the start of the group's tour, but Ms Palaszczuk was adamant.
Video: Geoffrey Cousins and Lindsay Simpson confront Ms Palszczuk (ABC News)
"I have indicated very clearly by coming here and being accompanied by eight mayors how important this project is for regional Queensland jobs," she said.
Mr Janakaraj said the support meant he was not worried by opponents vowing to disrupt construction.
"Protests mean nothing. That [support] outweighs the protesters by far, and I'm sure our board and chairman will recognise that as well," Mr Janakaraj said.A final decision from mine's parent company is due in April.
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