Abbott warns against courts 'sabotaging' projects such as Carmichael coalmine

Prime minister raises spectre of Australia becoming 'a nation of naysayers', two days after federal court set aside approval for huge Adani mine in Queensland

Tony Abbott has reaffirmed his support for the huge Adani coalmine in central Queensland, arguing Australia has "a problem as a nation" if the courts could "be turned into a means of sabotaging" such projects.

The prime minister warned against becoming "a nation of naysayers" two days after the federal court set aside the federal approval for the Carmichael mine because the environment minister, Greg Hunt, had not fully assessed its impact on two vulnerable species: the yakka skink and the ornamental snake.