Labor prepared to revoke Adani coalmine licence if elected, says Cousins

Former ACF head says Bill Shorten faced party resistance but assured him Labor would take a tough line on Queensland project

Businessman and environmentalist Geoff Cousins says Bill Shorten gave him clear and repeated signals that Labor intended to harden its opposition to the controversial Adani coalmine, including promising to revoke the licence for the project if the ALP won the next federal election.

Cousins, a former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, who accompanied Shorten to north Queensland in January to explore the various policy options for the Adani project, used a television interview on Tuesday night to publicly blast him for a lack of leadership.