Independent senator David Pocock used parliamentary privilege on Wednesday to claim Bravus, the Australian arm of Indian conglomerate Adani Group, sent legal threats to Sydney-based photojournalist Matthew Abbott.
Bravus, formerly known as Adani, said it was disappointed the senator did not contact the company before making "erroneous" claims in parliament.
Senator Pocock tabled a statement from Abbott that said he and another journalist from Swiss non-government organisation Public Eye attended Bravus's Carmichael mine last year to meet an indigenous group demonstrating against the Queensland project.
The senator said Abbott's statement was a concerning story that called into question press freedoms in Australia.
Abbott said he received a letter from Bravus accusing him of entering the mining lease unlawfully and threatening legal action for damages if he published any photographs.
Senator Poccok said Bravus was not truly concerned about people visiting the lease but was, in the words of an Indigenous activist Gurridyula, "making things up to scare people away, stopping this story from getting out".
He repeated Abbott's claims that Bravus was engaging in targeted intimidation of journalists to prevent them reporting on and publishing criticism about the Carmichael mine.
"What does that say about our democracy, our culture of secrecy, that a litigious foreign-owned corporation can have so much influence in our press?'" Senator Pocock said.
Bravus said the company rejected the "embellished and incorrect claims" put forward by Senator Pocock.
"The foreign journalist was advised, in writing, that Bravus did not provide its consent for him or for any other contractor engaged by him to visit or enter any part of the company's mining or pastoral leases," Bravus said in a statement on Thursday.
The Carmichael mine has been a prominent target for protesters since before it opened in 2019 over concerns it would contribute to global warming and its ship loading terminal would endanger the Great Barrier Reef.
Abbott said he had permission from the Wangan and Jagalingou cultural custodians to enter the mine lease and attend a ceremony against the mine.
He said the ceremony was held at a campsite 1.5km away from where coal was being mined.
But Bravus said there was no legal basis to suggest Abbott, as a non-traditional owner, had any right to be on the mining lease without the leaseholder's permission.
"We welcome legitimate media and answer their questions almost daily, but we don't welcome trespassers," the company said.
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