Queensland premier Annatsacia Palaszczuk will have a fresh deal on Adani's Carmichael coal mine ready to take to her cabinet on Monday as she looks to hose down a bitter factional war.
After a week of in-fighting over the details of a deal to the Indian mining giant, the premier is working hard to come up with an alternate plan that would please both Adani and the powerful Labor Left faction.
"I'm very happy with the progress that is being made to develop the policy framework that will open up these (mining) areas across Queensland," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Thursday.
The government is desperately trying to put together a new royalties "framework" that would cover not only Adani but any projects in the Galilee and Surat Basins, as well as the North-West Minerals Province.
It has been reported the framework may see interest charged on deferred royalty payments.
The fight was sparked last week when details emerged of a reported deal offered to Adani, in which the company would have paid as little as $2 million a year for the first seven years of its mega-coal mine's operation.
That would gradually ramp up over the course of the mine, leaving a shortfall of around $320 million in royalties.
It's also understood the deal was put to Adani during a trip by the premier to India in March without the knowledge of her deputy Jackie Trad, the leader of the Left faction. Some reports have suggested Ms Trad was involved in discussions about the offer.
During Question Time on Thursday, Deputy Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington asked Ms Trad when she had first found out about the proposed deal.
Ms Trad refused to say, citing the confidentiality of cabinet discussions.
Liberal National Party leader Tim Nicholls criticised the government for delaying the decision on a royalties deal by a week.
"What a week of division, dung-headedness and disaster from this do-nothing government," Mr Nicholls said in parliament.
Meanwhile, environmental activists seized on turmoil surrounding the proposed Carmichael coal mine by holding an anti-Adani protest outside Queensland parliament.
Protestors wore white to represent coral bleaching caused by global warming, and delivered a petition calling for the government to reject a billion-dollar federal loan to the mine in Galilee Basin.
Greens Senator Larissa Waters also warned a framework that allowed other miners to defer royalty payments was a worse outcome than one offered specifically for the Adani project.
"Queensland Labor promised voters they would protect the reef in the last election, and they promised no taxpayer handouts for Adani," she said.
"The Premier has broken those promises by doing secret deals with Adani, and is dealing with the cabinet revolt by extending the freebies for all mining companies - an even worse outcome for the climate and the reef."
