Adani Group’s Australian coal unit faces racism charge, human rights complaint: Report

The Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan & Jagalingou cultural custodians in Queensland state said they had filed a complaint outlining serious racial discrimination by the unit, Bravus Mining and Resources, earlier this week.

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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.

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He said the Adani group had been notified about their conduct by lawyers since last year butrefused to take action.

“Legal recourse is the only answer,” he added.

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A spokesperson for Bravus Mining and Resources “wholly rejected” the group’s allegations, saying it was an attempt to stop Bravus from telling its side of the story and “sharing facts with the public about our interactions with him and members of his ‘Family Council’.”

The statement from the Bravus unit stated that the mine was operating safely and responsibly in line with the laws of Queensland and Australia. The group claimed it was abiding by the law to maintain a partnership with the majority traditional owner group for the mining area under the terms of ratified ‘Indigenous Land Use Agreements and Cultural Heritage Management Plans’ for more than two years.

Bravus added that they had not received any notification from the Australian Human Rights Commission of a complaint.

A spokesperson stated that the Commission could not confirm whether a complaint had been received until both the complainant and respondent publicly acknowledged it.

The aboriginal group involved is seeking compensation, an apology, the removal of offensive social media posts, a retraction of media statements, and anti-racism and cultural awareness training for Adani’s directors, managers, and employees.

The Carmichael coal mine has already faced a seven-year long campaign from climate activists and some aboriginal groups before shipping its first cargo in December 2021.

Shares of Adani Group companies fell for a second consecutive day on Friday after US prosecutors charged chairman Gautam Adani in a bribery and fraud scheme.

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