The Australian coal unit of the Adani Group faces a human rights complaint and a racism charge
The Human Rights Commission in Australia received a complaint from an Aboriginal group accusing the Adani Group of racism at its coal unit.The Queensland state Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan and Jagalingou cultural custodians reported earlier this week that they had lodged a complaint detailing severe racial discrimination committed by Bravus Mining and Resources.
The complaint provides details of how Adani employees sought to “verbally and physically obstruct and prevent” members of the aboriginal group from accessing springs near Adani’s Carmichael coal mine “in order to perform cultural rites and share cultural knowledge”.
“We have endured years of discrimination and vilification from Adani, and we’re not putting up with this anymore,” Nagana Yarrbayn senior cultural custodian, Adrian Burragubba said in the statement.
He claimed that since last year, attorneys had warned the Adani group about their actions, but they had done nothing. “Legal recourse is the only answer,” he then said.
The group’s accusations were “wholly rejected” by a representative for Bravus Mining and Resources, who claimed that the attempt was made to prevent Bravus from providing its own explanation and “sharing facts with the public about our interactions with him and members of his ‘Family Council’.”
According to the Bravus unit’s statement, the mine was functioning responsibly and safely in accordance with Australian and Queensland rules. The group asserted that it was in compliance with the law by continuing to work in conjunction with the dominant traditional owner group for the mining region for over two years in accordance with ratified “Indigenous Land Use Agreements and Cultural Heritage Management Plans.”Bravus went on to say that the Australian Human Rights Commission had not notified them of any complaints.
According to a spokeswoman, unless the complainant and respondent publicly acknowledged receipt of the complaint, the Commission was unable to verify if it had been received. Compensation, an apology, the removal of inappropriate social media posts, a retraction of media statements, and anti-racism and cultural awareness training for Adani’s directors, managers, and staff are all demands made by the aboriginal community involved.
Before shipping its first shipment in December 2021, the Carmichael coal mine has already been the target of a seven-year campaign by some aboriginal organizations and climate activists. Following US prosecutors’ charges against Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani for a bribery and fraud conspiracy, shares of the company plummeted for the second day in a row on Friday.
