Mining and infrastructure conglomerate Adani, now Bravus, has not, as yet, appealed the Supreme Court’s ruling of last December 6, in which most of its key points against Galilee Blockade activist Ben Pennings were struck out.
Adani’s case against Pennings was initiated in August 2020. While weakened, it has not been withdrawn.
The judgment gave Adani 28 days if it wished to appeal and re-build its case against Pennings. The Supreme Court on February 17 granted an extension of one month for Adani’s barristers to resubmit the case.
Pennings told supporters last year that the judge described parts of Adani’s case as “confused, deficient and embarrassing”.
The climate campaign against Adani/Bravus began in 2010, when it lodged its first application for a mega coal mine project in the Galilee basin in Queensland, as well as a rail link and port development.
The Stop Adani campaign grew and had significant success. Millions of people learned about the impact of fossil fuel on climate change, and many became involved in the campaign.
A much reduced mine was given the go-ahead in 2014 as financial backers dried up, and it has been operating since December 2021.
The focus of Galilee Blockade, for which Pennings was spokesperson, was to target potential contractors. This tactic had a significant impact on the almost seven year’s gap between approval and the operation starting.
Downer, Adani’s “preferred contractor” to build and operate the mine, pulled out of a conditional $2.6 billion contract in December 2017.
This was spun by Adani as a cost-cutting drive. But the context was the Queensland Labor government’s veto of its $1 billion federal loan bid after then Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s partner was revealed to be working on Adani’s application to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) with his employer, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), acting for Adani.
The Galilee Blockade activist group had campaigned to get Downer to withdraw for a year, including with shareholder activists putting the case at its annual general meeting.
Adani’s civil suit against Pennings aims to intimidate activists and is consistent with its modus operandi in India.
Further delays in setting a court date will only add to the financial burden on Pennings who has called on campaign supporters to assist.
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