The Indian company that plans to develop Australia's biggest coal mine has registered its interest in a taxpayer funded scheme to help build its infrastructure, a Senate estimates hearing has heard.
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Adani, which had its federal environmental approval to build the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland reinstated last week, also met with Treasury officials in late September to discuss the fund, known as the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.
The $5 billion scheme introduced in the May budget would be used to help infrastructure for large projects.
Adani would most likely seek funding to assist with construction of a rail line connecting its mine in central Queensland to coal terminals at Abbot Point near the Great Barrier Reef.
The new government had initially signalled the railway could be a candidate for finance from the scheme, but has since backed away from that suggestion.
Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg said on Sunday there was a "strong moral case" for Adani's mega-mine to proceed, but that funding the rail would not be a "priority project" for the government.
In a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, Treasury officials said they had met with representatives for Adani to discuss the scheme.
Jenny Wilkinson, chief adviser for the Industry and Infrastructure Division, said Adani had registered an initial interest via the scheme's website and that officials had met with many individuals interested in the program over a three month period.
"Absolutely no undertakings were given. It was a general discussion. Very similar to the discussion that we've had with over 100 different individuals over the three months that we were working on this," she said.
Ms Wilkinson said Treasury officials had also met with officials from the Queensland government "to discuss any projects which they think could fall into the scope of that facility".
Greens senator Larissa Waters asked whether Adani's rail line had been raised in those conversations.
"My recollection is that we did discuss that among a range of different projects," Ms Wilkinson said.
After the hearing, Senator Waters said it was alarming that the new government had already had a meeting with Adani about access to public funding.
"Giving coal a taxpayer-funded leg up is not only economically reckless but it's environmentally disastrous and undermines global climate action."
