Leaks from one of Adani's most significant contractors for its Carmichael coal mine, engineering firm GHD, show it has been rocked by internal dissent, with some current and former staff saying it went into "crisis mode" after employees bombarded management with complaints and questions about its work on the mine.

Key points: Inside accounts and leaked emails from engineering firm GHD reveal internal tensions over its relationship with Adani

Inside accounts and leaked emails from engineering firm GHD reveal internal tensions over its relationship with Adani Activists have sought to pressure GHD and other contractors involved with Adani

Activists have sought to pressure GHD and other contractors involved with Adani Adani has vowed not to be "intimidated" by activists

The revelations show anti-Adani activists' tactic of targeting contractors could be making it difficult for Adani to find contractors to complete the mine.

They come as public pressure mounts on the company, with more than a dozen protests being held at GHD offices around Australia this week.

The ABC has spoken to two current senior engineers and one former GHD employee.

The ABC has also seen emails from management to staff responding to internal and external criticisms of GHD's work with Adani as well as a list of projects GHD has done for Adani.

Two senior engineers at GHD said the company went into crisis mode over internal unrest over GHD's involvement with Adani.

They said the issue dominated water-cooler discussions for weeks and was unique over at least the past 15 years, with no other issue causing as much concern for GHD staff.

They said the internal disquiet was triggered first by protests outside GHD events and offices in March and then amplified after charity Engineers Without Borders terminated a long-standing partnership between it and GHD over the firm's work for Adani's Carmichael coal mine in August.

Engineers Without Borders Australia ceased its relationship with GHD over the company's involvement with Adani. ( Supplied )

Over that period, many staff emailed management with their concerns. In response, GHD held town-hall meetings in offices around the country, with hundreds of employees attending and meetings reaching room capacities.

GHD staff told the ABC the meetings were polite but probing, with the majority of questions in some cities raising concern about GHD's work with Adani.

Other staff also met with GHD managers behind closed doors to express their concern.

The current and former GHD employees told the ABC the company did not have a culture in which complaints were regularly voiced, and it took a lot for staff to raise their concerns.

Emails seen by the ABC appear to confirm the staff account, showing GHD began an information campaign to address staff concerns about GHD's work with Adani.

'Being targeted by activists should not deter GHD'

Signage at Adani's Carmichael coal mine site in central Queensland warning that trespassers will be prosecuted. ( ABC News: Russell Talbot )

In March 2019, a GHD manager emailed staff saying the company could confirm it had done some work on the mine in the past.

"If GHD were to be doing any ongoing work with this client, we would not be able to confirm or deny our involvement for confidentiality reasons," the manager said.

In July, an all-staff email from GHD noted: "Many of you have put questions to the leadership team about GHD's position in this debate."

Addressing concerns that had been raised, GHD said: "We are consultants, and we don't create policy or source business on a policy-driven agenda.

"Being targeted by activists should not deter GHD from doing what we believe in."

Stop Adani protests have targeted contractors involved with the project. ( AAP: Joel Carrett )

In a further attempt to quell disquiet, GHD held forums at offices around the country and conducted a staff survey.

In an all-staff email, a GHD manager noted the company had received a lot of responses:

"And regardless of the diverse mix of positions held, personally I'm incredibly proud that our people clearly care deeply about both the brand and future of our company as well as our role and responsibility in shaping and caring for the world we live in. And I'm also delighted that you feel comfortable to share and discuss this sensitive and complex topic in an open, transparent and respectful manner."

GHD staff that spoke with the ABC said colleagues at the meetings did not appear convinced by the company's arguments, but did appreciate the chance to discuss the issues with their bosses.

GHD's central involvement in Carmichael under question

The Adani mine highlights the political divide on climate change in Australia. ( Twitter: Matthew Canavan )

The internal emails repeatedly told staff not to confirm or deny whether GHD was working with Adani on the Carmichael mine.

"Regarding any protest activity, please remember that we are not able to comment about projects or confirm or deny the identity of current clients. We respect client confidentiality at all times," a July email from the company's CEO said.

But as the complaints and protests continued, GHD published a statement about the issue in August, downplaying the company's involvement in the mine.

A business at Bowen in north Queensland indicates its support for Adani. ( ABC Tropical North: Melanie Groves )

In a series of internal questions and answers, the company asked: "Is GHD designing or constructing Adani's Carmichael Coal Mine?"

In its answer, GHD said it, "can confirm that we are not responsible for the design of mine site infrastructure".

But internal documents seen by the ABC suggest that statement downplays the significant work GHD has done designing central aspects of the mine.

A list of projects GHD has worked on for Adani on an internal GHD register shows one project called "Underground Boxcut Design".

A 'box cut' is the first excavation step of a mine. It removes the weathered top layer of earth, allowing further excavation to reach the coal.

That excavation is as far as Adani is allowed to go before obtaining further environment approvals.

The description of the project said: "Underground boxcut design for the Adani Carmichael Mine."

It said the design involved a 75m box cut, and the removal 8.4 million cubic metres of material — enough to fill more than 3,000 Olympic swimming pools.

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A spokeswoman for Adani Mining told the ABC that if the design work was done, it was for an outdated mine design.

"Any GHD design documents related to mine site design are outdated and related to old design concepts that are not being implemented."

The document shows GHD had a number of staff seconded to Adani, with those employees sometimes working from Adani offices.

GHD declined to comment on the matter further, pointing the ABC to its public statement.

Adani says it won't be intimidated

The revelations come just weeks after another contractor and major engineering firm, Cardno, announced it would not continue working on the Carmichael mine, partly because of the "polarising" effect the work was having on its employees.

That news followed engineering firm Aurecon severing all ties with Adani in March this year as part of plans to be a "future ready business" — a move that led to Resources Minister Matt Canavan labelling it "a bunch of bed-wetters".

Sorry, this audio has expired 'A bunch of bed wetters': Matt Canavan attacks mining contractor

Yet another Adani contractor and engineering firm, AECOM, took Adani to court this year, chasing more than $12 million for work it did on a rail link to the Carmichael mine.

The Queensland Resources Council declined to comment for this story, instead pointing the ABC to comments it made in September.

"The activists will stop at nothing to destroy jobs," QRC chief Ian Macfarlane told the ABC in September.

"My advice to companies is to show some courage and to be aware that the activists are trying to infiltrate your organisations and make sure that your own IP [intellectual property] and the security systems you run are up to scratch."

That month, amid news of some engineering contractors pulling out of the Carmichael project, the Queensland Resources Council indicated mining companies might blacklist those companies.

"Resources companies simply can't be expected to partner with fair-weather friends or businesses who let activists call the shots," Mr Macfarlane said in a press release.

A Stop Adani sign formed by people on Bondi Beach. ( Twitter: @stopadani )

Adani Mining told the ABC it would not be intimidated by activists.

"After more than eight years of working on our project, we have repeatedly demonstrated that we will not be intimidated or deterred from delivering on our promises to Queenslanders and we continue to get on with the construction of the Carmichael Project," a spokeswoman for Adani Mining said.

"We are very pleased with the contractors that we already have in place, and confident with the knowledge that we have plenty of others chasing our business on future work packages should we need them," she said.

The anti-coal activists initially focused on banks, campaigning for them to rule out financing Adani's Carmichael project.

All four of Australia's major banks have ruled out working with Adani on the Carmichael project, and Adani has said it will rely on other companies in the Adani Group for finance.

Activists have now been focusing on contractors Adani will need to finish the design of the mine and to build it.

Activist group Market Forces has been among the leading organisations in that campaign.

"We try to really highlight to the contractors the reputational risk of being involved in a massive new coal project in the midst of a climate crisis," Market Forces campaigner Pablo Brait said.

The group has targeted GHD employees on LinkedIn with campaign information and surveys.

"We don't think any company that sees itself as a forward-thinking or ethical company should be going anywhere near the Adani Carmichael project," Mr Brait said.

GHD and Adani's decade-long relationship

The Adani Carmichael coal mine has received vocal support from some communities in Queensland. ( ABC News: Jemima Burt )

GHD has been working with Adani on the Carmichael mine since at least 2010, when it provided Adani with an "initial advice statement" on the proposed mine, after it purchased the project from Linc Energy.

In 2013, GHD wrote the key Environmental Impact Statement for the mine-and-rail project for the Queensland state government approvals.

In there, GHD estimated the mine would generate more than 10,000 jobs for Queensland in some years — a figure that was later disputed in court by an economic consultant employed by Adani.

GHD declined to comment on its work with Adani, or related issues. Instead, it referred the ABC to its public statement.

In that statement, GHD argued coal was an important resource for developing countries and emphasised the work GHD did on renewable energy projects.

"We work professionally to apply scientific and engineering knowledge to support our clients, whose operations in turn have to meet commercial, environmental and regulatory requirements.

"Our commitment and contribution to sustainable progress is to provide professional, honest and evidence-based advice to all our clients in all sectors, always within the laws and regulations that apply to them and to our own operations."