Complicating matters is Adani's conflicting paperwork, with Indian documents suggesting Adani Enterprises divested its stake in Abbot Point port for $235 million in 2013 to a private Singapore entity for which Vinod is the sole director. In the wake of the Queensland government announcing a new plan for the dredge material from the expansion of the Abbot Point port, one of the last hurdles facing the mining project, Greens Senator Larissa Waters has called on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to investigate Adani's ownership structure. When asked about Senator Waters's concerns last week, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would "have a look" at the request for an ASIC investigation. "If there is any issues like that, they should bring it to forward to my attention and I will follow that up," she said. "No one has brought it to my attention at the moment."

Ms Palaszczuk said she believed the solution the Labor government had found for the dredge spoil – which will see it dumped onshore and used to build up the T2 area of the port strategic development area - was a win for all sides. "We had consulted extensively with different stakeholders and I think it was a great outcome that we had the Queensland Resources Council come out, WWF come out and the proponents coming out that we had found a solution that puts forward economic development in this state, creates jobs and is also environmentally sustainable," she said. Mr Wellington, who committed to supporting Labor after receiving a promise Ms Palaszczuk's government would be open, accountable and transparent, said he expected the companies which dealt with the government to adhere to the same principles. "They need to be totally upfront and transparent in issues the government may be involved in dealing with them with," he said. "...If there are sufficient questions about who the government is dealing with, whoever that may be, I would think that Annastacia Palaszczuk would be asking those questions. I always go by this - if a reasonable person believes there are sufficient grounds to ask further questions, then those questions need to be asked.

"If there are sufficient questions about Adani, if a reasonable person would think there are questions about how transparent they are being in their dealing with the Queensland government, then those questions need to be asked." If it goes ahead, the company's $16 billion Carmichael Mine would be the biggest coal mine in Australia, with the previous government promising it would create up to 10,000 jobs. But the downturn in the global coal price and the logistical difficulties the Galilee Basin creates has left investors hesitant to jump on board. On Saturday, Reuters reported the State Bank of India was preparing to turn down Adani's request for a $1 billion loan to help finance the mine. AAP reported sources with direct links to the move told Reuters a preliminary deal, signed in November supporting the loan, was simply a memorandum of understanding pending further appraisal.

In responding to the Fairfax Media investigation in February, a spokesman for Adani said the "ownership structure of another component of its mine, rail and port projects – the lease of its terminal at Abbot Point" had not changed. "It is unfortunate that, in selectively quoting Adani's responses of several weeks ago to the story published [on February 7], an impression has been created that a response stating that the ownership structure has not changed as claimed might mean something other than the ownership structure has not changed as claimed. "Adani also notes once more that the unchanged ownership of the lease is consistent with its stated position advised to every relevant regulatory authority in Queensland, Australia, and India."