Adani has infiltrated deep into Australian politics, and we need to fight back. GET UP

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Sam R – GetUp!

5:22 PM (1 hour ago)

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Dear NEVILLE,

Adani has infiltrated deep into Australian politics, and we need to fight back.

An explosive report from Fairfax this weekend exposes just how far Adani penetrates both the Labor and Liberal parties. A litany of ex-staffers and lobbyists from both major parties are now working for the Indian mining company as it seeks Government approval for it’s Carmichael coal mine, Abbot Point coal port and dredging in Great Barrier Reef waters.1

The revelations perhaps help shed light on why the Queensland Labor Government still supports a project that makes so little sense. It will damage the Great Barrier Reef. It won’t deliver the jobs Adani promised.2 It is deeply unpopular with voters. And perhaps most incredibly, the Government’s own Treasury warned it is unbankable.3

We’ve fought to expose Adani’s lies and murky history. We’ve fought their dodgy plans in court. We’ve lined the streets and filled the airwaves. But the task ahead of us just got so much bigger.

Many are predicting Adani’s plans to destroy our Reef will either be beaten or become unstoppable in the next few months. Can you chip in so we can fight back against Adani and their deep political connections?

Now that Adani’s ranks are stacked with Labor and Liberal party workers, the political influence it could have is frightening. It is impossible to underestimate the impact direct personal connections between government and industry can have. Who knows which backs are being scratched at any moment?

The connections aren’t just any ex-staffers either. Many of them worked directly with Adani on Abbot Point in their previous Government roles. Like the former Chief of Staff for the Newman Government State Development Minister, whose department deliberately ignored warnings from its own treasury about the project’s financial viability.3 Or the ex-head of the Government-owned body who will oversee the dredging at Abbot Point. Both these people now work for Adani.

We need to fight fire with fire. Can you help us match the power of dodgy insider connections with organised people power and strategic advertising? We need to make life harder for the decision makers than Adani’s inside connections can. Here’s what we need to do:

  • Run hard-hitting, pointed advertising in the home electorates of politicians like Mines Minister Anthony Lynham.
  • Fund community events where people like you can learn how to lobby their local politicians just like Adani’s new hired guns are doing.
  • Continue to investigate Adani’s dirty tricks, like when we sent a film crew to expose their dismal track-record in Mundra, India.
  • Organise community leaders like you to ask questions at every public event key decision makers are likely to be at.

It won’t be easy, but together we can put up one hell of a fight. Can you help fight Adani’s ex-Government lobbyists in this crucial period? https://www.getup.org.au/adanis-murky-connections

Adani seems on the brink. They have no investors. They still need approvals. They face large, strong legal challenges. Traditional Owners are fighting them. And they have us to deal with. But if we don’t counter the influence of Adani’s intertwined relationships and influential political operators, stopping this project will be almost impossible.

Every time we’ve faced a new hurdle in this incredible campaign we’ve risen to the challenge. Whether it’s funding legal cases, exposing Adani’s dodgy operations or helping change an election result, we’ve done what it takes. Together, we’ve done so much for so long. Now, let’s steel ourselves for what could be the final chapter in this truly epic fight to save our Great Barrier Reef. https://www.getup.org.au/adanis-murky-connections

Thanks for everything,

Sam R – for the GetUp team

[1] Indian miner Adani hires Labor and Liberal staffers to make its case. The Age. 4 July 2015.
[2] Adani Carmichael mine to create 1464 jobs, not 10,000. Brisbane Times. 28 April 2015.
[3] Adani’s Carmichael Mine is unbankable says Queensland Treasury. Sydney Morning Herald. 30 June 2015.


GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders – past, present and future – and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.

Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.

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