Adani to self-fund $2b Carmichael mine, construction to start before Christmas

State and federal Labor leaders have refused to back Adani's $2 billion Queensland Carmichael mine after the Indian company said it would fund the project itself, with construction planned to begin before Christmas.

The decision to give the financial green light for the mine, which has been the lightning rod for anti-coal environmentalists for the past decade, and climate change and energy policy are expected to dominate next year's federal election, with Labor leader Bill Shorten under pressure to scrap approvals for the Adani project if Labor wins the next poll, due in mid May.