The ancient Doongmabulla Springs, where, just like the fight to protect precious water flowing through the Central Coast's Dooralong and Yarramalong Valleys, a community has risen up against a mining giant to protect what is important - the environment.

16 April 2025

ALAN HAYES

 

THE fight to protect the Central Coast's major drinking water catchment was by far the longest running and dynamic campaign in the history of the Central Coast Region. During that the mining company would cajole, lie and even try and bribe their way into achieving the result that they wanted.

 

The Central Coast community was made of sterner stuff than to be beaten by the self-serving greed and avarice of a mining company. But mining companies elsewhere, motivated by a desire to jackboot their way over communities, continue unabated by the lure of the black gold.

 

Dirty tricks are the calling card of the billionaire class mining giants, who will stoop at anything to win.

 

So, it comes as no surprise that Adani Group, an Indian multinational mining conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad, has named two dead Australian war veterans in documents alleging protest conspiracy against its Queensland coal mine at Doongmabulla Springs.

 

Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and Senator for Queensland said: "Adani is so desperate to muzzle ordinary people’s dissent of their dodgy mines, they’re hauling dead people to court.

 

“If Adani knew Mike and Bill had passed when naming them co-conspirators, then their nastiness knows no bounds.

 

“If they didn't know, they need to seriously consider whether their legal team is taking them for a very expensive ride."

 

Adani also launched an attack on scientists who revealed new evidence of mining risks to the protected Doongmabulla Springs.

 

Adani has accused a group of scientific researchers of being "part of the movement to stop Australia's coal export industry".

 

The scientists published a study that found Adani's Queensland coalmine was "likely" to be diverting water from protected ancient springs.

 

The researchers came under attack from Adani over a new study that found the Carmichael mine was "likely" to divert water flows from the nationally important Doongmabulla Springs, which were "more vulnerable to mining impacts than has been previously assumed".

 

It traced water sources through radioisotopes and found the springs were fed by "multiple groundwater sources", with "mine dewatering likely to divert flow away from these springs and reduce discharge".

 

Adani, which has claimed the springs have only one groundwater source "entirely separate" to its mine, accused the researchers of bias.

 

The issue with billionaires and corporations in the fossil fuel industry is that they hate being challenged over their nefarious activities. So, without any conscience, they use their deep pockets to unleash pricey lawyers to start endless, terrifying legal battles. Couple this with their dirty tricks and you have a playbook straight out of a Hollywood David and Goliath blockbuster movie staring Donald Trump.

 

Sadly, these bully-boy Trumpian-tactics are on the rise in Australia, and nothing is being done to stop it. Meanwhile, Europe, the UK, Canada, and nearly half of US states protect everyday heroes from such legal intimidation. They shield those standing up against fossil fuel giants and protect them from those who run our parliament, wreck our planet and kowtow to the fossil fuel industry.

 

We have seen this blatant kowtowing from the NSW State Coalition Government, when legislative was passed, at the behest of coal mining companies, to make peaceful protesting illegal. The penalty to stand up for your rights: up to seven years imprisonment.

 

So, now the all-too familiar scenario is playing out once again to protect ancient lands from being destroyed and lost forever. The federal and state governments should have blocked Adani’s coal mine amid a climate crisis but they didn't. They definitely shouldn’t have handed over a billion dollars in taxpayer cash to let Adani mine sacred First Nations land.

 

“The Wangan and Jagalingou have long warned that the ancient Doongmabulla Springs are at risk, and have been calling on Minister Plibersek to investigate the irreversible damage," said Larissa Waters.

 

“Instead, in the final week of parliament, Labor colluded with Dutton’s Liberals to pass legislation that guts our federal environment laws all for the benefit of big corporations.”

 

The source of the Doongmabulla Springs has remained in question since the Queensland government waived its requirement that Adani find a definitive answer before the mine was approved in 2019.

 

Adani insisted the sole source of the Doongmabulla Springs was an underground aquifer called the Clematis Sandstone — a conclusion that federal science agencies doubted.

 

Just in case, the miner was prohibited from draining spring water levels by more than 20 centimetres.

 

The scientists, Matt Currell and Ian Cartwright, who carried out the study to determine the source of the water that fed Doongmabulla Springs were continually derided by Adani, and have been subject to baseless slurs and accursed of being activists against the coal mine.

 

Professor Currell said it was "almost like forensic type work where you're trying to 'fingerprint' the water in this spring, which could be coming from close or far or shallow or deep".

 

Professor Cartwright said that analysis of water samples showed some of the water was up to 500,000 years old. "There was no evidence of water that age within the Clematis Sandstone," he said.

 

This meant the water in the springs "can't all come from the Clematis" as claimed by Adani, he said.

 

This pointed to "water probably coming from one of the deeper aquifers… including possibly some of the deeper formations" in the coal seam targeted by Adani.

 

Professor Currell said this ancient water was surprisingly "drinkable".

 

Yet, despite unbiased research by Currell and Cartwright, Adani insist that their studies are independent. "If they can find me a piece of research that's not paid for by their company that contradicts anything we said, and that is in a proper peer-reviewed international outlet, then I'm happy to read it and consider it," Professor Currell said.

 

So, just like the 'Battle to Protect the Central Coast's Drinking Water Catchment', lies, innuendoes and dirty tricks remain the playbook for the greedy miners - the environment is no concern. Australia is seen as just a large mining pit, where rules and regulations don't apply or can be bent and manipulated.

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