As well as an infrastructure spending boost, governments are fast-tracking approvals. But these processes exist for a reason. If we get projects wrong, we live with the consequences for decades.
It’s been years in the making, but Adani’s controversial Queensland coal mine is finally shovel-ready. Yet significant scientific questions remain, such as the impact on the region’s aquifers.
Just one out of a possible 775 development approvals was refused on the basis that it would harm the southern black-throated finch, despite this endangered species being protected by federal law.