From Greenpeace Australia Pacific
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/confidential-documents-reveal-second-mining-rail-project-in-sights-of-5-billion-northern-australia-fund-20170907-gycvn9.html
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/13/infrastructure-fund-directors-under-fire-again-over-potential-conflicts-of-interest?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-02/naif-grilled-over-members-conflict-of-interest-in-adani-loan/8582052
On Monday, leaked documents revealed that the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) - the secretive government body that could pump a billion dollars of public money into Adani’s Carmichael mega mine - is covertly looking at funding a second mining rail project in Western Australia.
Greenpeace staff did a bit of digging, and today we’re breaking the news that there’s a messy web of ties between NAIF board members and the new mining companies who want taxpayer handouts.
Make no mistake, this stinks to high heaven. NAIF needs to be exposed for what it is: a dodgy government body created to prop up billionaire mining companies with taxpayers’ money.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s interesting about the latest NAIF revelations:
-On Monday, the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that secret documents show that NAIF is considering a loan to a Pilbara (WA) iron ore port and rail line called the Balla Balla project.
-The chair of the NAIF board, Sharon Warburton, is also a director of a major competitor for the Balla Balla project. How can she be expected to be impartial when deciding on a taxpayer loan for a direct competitor?
-Another NAIF board member, Justin Mannolini, is a partner in a law firm that worked on getting the WA government to approve the Balla Balla project. His law firm still has Balla Balla's proponent as a client. How can he be expected to be impartial when his employer has a direct interest in the project going ahead?
… wait, what?!
And remember, this is not the first time that conflicts of interest have come up for the NAIF Board. Back in June the ABC reported on Director Karla Way-McPhail’s interests in companies that service the coal mining industry. The NAIF refused to say whether or not Ms McPhail had recused herself from discussions about the Adani loan.
And there could be many more such cases that we have yet to hear about. Many things about the NAIF are shrouded in mystery, but one thing is clear: their board has deep, vested interests in the mining industry.
