Adani Australia chief executive Lucas Dow has sought to hose down Carmichael Mine water worries as the controversial project shapes up as a major issue in the federal election.
Following the federal government's decision to green light plans for Carmichael, it has come to light that both CSIRO and Geoscience Australia harboured concerns about the project.
Handwritten notes released by government agency Geoscience Australia in response to a request from the ABC highlighted officials' concerns over Adani's water management plan.
In one document, dated April 5, 2019, Geoscience boss Dr James Johnson wrote that Adani's water modelling was not "fit for purpose".
"So told Adani - if new model shows greater impact than current model they have to sort it out. They refused," read Dr Johnson's note.
Groundwater management is one of the most contentious issue surrounding the Carmichael Mine, with some Queensland producers worried the mine will damage precious water flows.
Mr Dow said the company had been thorough in the preparation of its water management plans and had jumped through every hoop required by regulators.
"The reality is we've been working on our water management plans for over six years," he said.
"The Federal Department of Environment and Energy sourced advice from the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia to ensure that everything is in order... they in turn provided us with a suite of recommendations, which we adopted and incorporated into our management plans."
Mr Dow said there were more than 20 make good water agreements in place with potentially affected landholders and that more than 100 monitoring bores would be used to track groundwater levels.
The Adani mine has become one of the defining issues in the early stages of the federal election.
The Coalition government has been accused of rushing through approvals in response to political pressure, while Labor critics say the party is divided on the issue and is seeking to distance itself from Adani.
The mine, and related issues such as job creation, are key themes for a number of pivotal federal seats in central and northern Queensland.
Environmental activist and former Greens leader Bob Brown is leading an anti-Adani convoy to protest at Clermont, deep in the coal mining heartland of Queensland.
With the federal Coalition government forging ahead with Adani approvals, all eyes have turned to the state Labor government, which still needs to sign off on key groundwater and environmental approvals for the Carmichael Mine.
