Our clients from the Environment Council of Central Queensland – Christine Carlisle, Ashleigh Wyles and Ellie Smith – have asked us to pass this message on to you:

We saw it late yesterday afternoon – the quiet update on the government’s environmental approval portal. 

Three massive new coal mine expansions. Approved.

1.4 billion tonnes of climate pollution. Approved.  

No assessment of the mines’ climate risk on animals, plants and places.  

No requirement for mining companies to take any steps to prevent that harm. 

These are significant coal mine projects.

• MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant mine can now expand to double its thermal coal production and operate until 2058, becoming Australia’s largest export coal mine and fuelling nearly a billion tonnes of carbon pollution. 
• Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri thermal coal project is a major source of methane pollution and can now operate until 2066 – and now has approval to destroy 491 hectares of endangered koala habitat. 
• Yancoal’s Ashton coal project in the Hunter Valley can now expand and also reopen its neighbouring Ravensworth Underground Mine (which closed in 2014) and mine an additional 25 million tonnes of coal until 2064. 

As members of the Environment Council of Central Queensland, we feel gutted. 

In our recent Living Wonder climate court cases, we challenged the risk assessment of two of these coal mines (Narrabri Underground and the monstrously large Mount Pleasant). 

We went all the way to the High Court – because we believe our Environment Minister has a responsibility to scrutinise coal and gas projects and protect our environment from their climate harm.  

The Federal Court in our cases found Minister did not act inconsistently with the letter of the law – the laws that the court acknowledged were so ‘ill-suited’ to deal with the greatest challenge of our time: climate change. 

After two years in court, last month the High Court declined us special leave to appeal against the Federal Court’s decision.  

But the court decisions didn’t change the fact that the Environment Minister has a choice to protect our environment from climate harm. In her risk assessment when approving new projects, she has a choice to properly assess climate damage to nationally protected animals, plants and places. 

We’re heartbroken that she’s chosen not to.

One might think, in this day and age, faced with an avalanche of climate evidence – both in scientific papers and unfolding before our eyes (the Great Barrier Reef collapsing, Portugal on fire, another year of disastrous weather etc etc) – our Environment Minister would do her job and protect our environment.  

The Albanese government should not just talk “Nature Positive,” while at the same time, delay urgent law reform and approve coal mines like this.

This is a betrayal of our environment. A betrayal of our children. A betrayal of all that we hold dear. 

Minister Plibersek chose to stand in court beside mining companies and defend her refusal to act for our climate. We wanted her to be the Environment Minister but it seems she is the Minister for Mining Companies. 

It is extraordinarily difficult to bear witness to the climate crisis unravelling – especially when decision makers so doggedly refuse to act.  

Our fellow ECoCeQ members are taking care of each other today – and we encourage you to do the same.

Today, some of us will just sit with the grief. We might call the offices of Albanese and Plibersek to express our outrage, or join the snap rallies organised by groups like Lock the Gate.  

Some of us will sit together and cry over a cup of tea, or something stronger. Others will go for a swim or sit in the bush, inhale the eucalypts, howl to the ocean. 

Tomorrow, we will regroup and turn this anger into fuel to keep going.  

This is heartbreaking, but despair is not a strategy.  

All of the members of ECoCeQ send you their heartfelt thanks for everything you do in this mission to create a safe climate, thriving nature and a radically better world. 

Today we grieve. We rest. We regroup.  

Tomorrow we get back to work.