Otherwise sane and sensible people have been gripped by this terrible malady – rendering them incoherent when they try to talk about the proposed Carmichael coal mine.

What comes out of their mouths at the mere mention of the “A” or “C” word is a profusion of expletives, climate change truths and half-truths and promises to “save the reef for their grandchildren”.

Most recently, the Black Throated Finch has these phobia sufferers all in a flutter. 

Many had never even heard of this obscure bird until the nice people at the Black Throated Finch recovery team and Birdlife Australia claimed the proposed mine would send it extinct.

The Australian Conservation Foundation got wind of the plight of the endangered finch and weighed into the debate, asking the Minister for Energy and Environment Josh Frydenberg to revoke the licences that Adani had duly obtained to get the $16.5 billion Carmichael project off the ground.

This practice of revoking licences is commonplace in New South Wales, and as regular readers of Hogsback might recall, is a recipe for disaster. It’s a sure sign that the neurosis of the masses is starting to spread into government, which already has enough afflictions.

Another tell-tale sign of Adaniphobia is the complete reversal of statements, even if it means supporting something that was hitherto demonised.

A good case in point of this symptom was displayed by the former coal-hating think tank The Australia Institute.

This Canberra-based lobby group used to deny coal had any economic benefit to Australia and exhorted the thousands of people employed in the NSW’s coal mining industry in the Hunter Valley to go out and get other jobs because coal was a dying industry. 

However, The Australia Institute is now rushing to the defence of the poor Hunter Valley coal mining industry, citing research that shows that if Carmichael got up it would lower the price of thermal and cut the lunch of Hunter Valley coal producers.     

The Australia Institute is supporting an increase of Hunter coal export volumes to 235 million tonnes by 2035 from new Hunter mines and the expansion of existing operations. 

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said it had been very confusing over the years to know where The Australia Institute stood on mining in the Hunter.

“In the past they’ve called for no new mines in the Hunter, arguing this would have little economic impact. They’ve repeatedly lodged submissions and given evidence to the Planning Assessment Commission against almost every new Hunter coal mining application,” he said.

Galilee said the NSW Minerals Council was looking forward to The Australia Institute lodging submissions and giving evidence to the Planning Assessment Commission in support of Hunter coal projects in the future.

Hogsback thinks if that were to miraculously take place, the scourge of Adaniphobia would not be such a bad thing after all.