Queensland government was warned about risks of Chinese company's water extraction

Exclusive: Concerns about groundwater security at Cherrabah overridden by Campbell Newman's government

Queensland government experts raised repeated warnings about the long-term sustainability of groundwater extraction at a southern Queensland property which has since been approved to operate as a commercial water mine.

The approval for the 96m litre a year bottled water extraction operation at Cherrabah - in a severely drought-hit area where locals are on water rations and communities at imminent risk of running dry - has raised significant questions about the oversight and regulation of critical water resources in Queensland.