Last year, ACF challenged the federal Environment Minister’s decision not to apply the ‘water trigger’ to Adani’s massive water-guzzling pipeline. The water trigger is a feature of our national environment law designed to protect water sources from the impacts of coal mining.
On top of this, we think there may now be an additional ground for appeal we can run in the case. This relates to how the Minister considered (or did not consider) public submissions. Whether this ground has legs depends on some information the Minister has so far refused to give us.
The court needs to decide if we can include this additional ground in our case. So on 20 February 2019, we’ll be in court for an interlocutory hearing.
It's incredibly helpful show the judge and the parties that there is a strong public interest in this case. We can do this by filling the public gallery with concerned people.
It's also very important that we respect the formal, non-political nature of the judicial process. Please do not wear your Stop Adani or other protest clothing or carry signs. We want to demonstrate the public interest through pure weight of numbers, not (on this occasion) protesting.
When you arrive please look for signs to Australian Conservation Foundation Incorporated v Minister for the Environment – NSD2268/2018. We'll be in Court Room 22A.