QCoal makes corruption claim
Queensland mining company QCoal’s managing director has lodged corruption claims.
QCoal MD Chris Wallin has referred several state government bureaucrats to the QLD Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
He claims the Government workers are favouring multinational firm Glencore in a land-rights dispute.
QCoal applied to develop land in the mineral-rich Bowen Basin, but Mr Wallin says Glencore has been illegally hauling coal across his land.
He also claims the government has been covering up the practice, and even plans to introduce legislation that hands over part of his claim to Glencore.
The Government says it has been brokering negotiations between the two parties for the last five years.
Mr Wallin said the dispute was costing the state millions of dollars.
“We've got a JORC [Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee] resource of over 3 billion tonnes and we want to produce 10 million tonnes of coal per annum and this would generate royalties of approximately $15 million a month for Queensland,” he told reporters.
“Over 50 years, you're looking at around $10 billion of royalties.
“We're privately owned, we're based in Queensland, in Australia — you're comparing that to a multinational company based in Switzerland.”
The CCC has confirmed it is assessing a complaint.
“It is important to note an assessment is not an investigation,” a CCC spokesperson said.