24 September, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Albanese government has given the greenlight to three massive coal mine expansions in NSW that will operate as far into the future as 2066 and fuel over a billion tonnes of carbon emissions. This is more than three times Australia’s current total annual emissions.
Two of these mines, Narrabri and Mount Pleasant, were the subject of an epic, but ultimately unsuccessful, legal bid from a small community group, the Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ). In a series of landmark court cases known as the Living Wonders, ECoCeQ tried to make Minister Plibersek act on the lasting climate damage these coal mine projects would cause.
The approvals come as the Labor government’s “Nature Positive” legislation remains stalled in the Senate, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ruled out reforming Australia’s environment laws so the climate impacts of new fossil fuel projects would be considered as part of the approval process.
Mount Pleasant will become the biggest coal mine in Australia, three times larger than the Adani coal mine approved by the Morrison Government.
Christine Carlisle, Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ) President, says:
“We are utterly devastated at the news that Minister Plibersek has approved these mines, ignoring their climate impacts.We fought so hard to avoid this.”
“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's abhorrent the Albanese government has chosen to approve three massive coal mines that will dig and burn coal until 2066 when the science is clear: this is supercharging climate breakdown.”
“This is a betrayal of our environment. A betrayal of our children. A betrayal of all that we hold dear.”
Retta Berryman, Environmental Justice Australia senior specialist lawyer says:
“In approving these three massive coal mines, the Albanese government has refused to recognise their climate harms to thousands of animals, plants and places. In light of the stalled law reform process, the government appears to have no plan whatsoever to take any steps to prevent that harm.”
“These coal mine approvals are a huge setback that our client fought valiantly to protect against.”
LIVING WONDERS
The Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ), represented by lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia, argued before the full Federal Court that the Environment Minister was legally required to protect Australia’s unique environment – including koalas, the AustralianAlps and the Great Barrier Reef – from the climate harm in the landmark Living Wonders climate cases.
The three mines granted extension approvals today are Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project, Mach Energy’s Mount Pleasant project and Glencore and Yancoal’s Ashton-Ravensworth Underground extension. Ashton was not part of the Living Wonders case.
MEDIA BACKGROUND
THE COAL MINES
Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project: A subsidiary of Whitehaven Coal plans to extend underground mining operations at the Narrabri thermal coal mine until 2044, an additional 13 years.
- The evidence ECoCeQ presented in the Federal Court painted a devastating picture of the climate impact of the Narrabri coal mine, which would potentially fuel 259 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Whitehaven subsidiary plans to extract approximately 82 million additional tonnes of coal.
- Locally, it would also destroy 500 hectares of critical habitat for endangered koalas.
Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project: MACH Energy plans to significantly expand open cut thermal coal mining in its Muswellbrook Mount Pleasant mine site in the NSW Hunter Valley, until almost 2050.
- Mount Pleasant will become the biggest coal mine in Australia, three times larger than the Adani coal mine approved by the Morrison Government.
- MACH Energy seeks to double its annual coal extraction to a total of 444 million tonnes and extend the mine’s operations until 2048.
Vision of the Mount Pleasant mine and photos of the Narrabri mine are available here.
THE LIVING WONDERS CLIMATE CASES
- Legal challenges – In July 2022, the Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ) requested the federal Environment Minister reconsider the environmental risk assessment for 19 large coal and gas projects under Australia’s national environment laws. ECoCeQ argued the risk assessment of these coal and gas projects should recognise that their climate impact will harm close to 2,000 nationally significant species, places, and ecological communities includes iconic wildlife like koalas and turtles, as well as World and National Heritage areas like the Great Barrier Reef, the Tarkine and Kakadu.
- Environment Minister accepts the evidence but refuses to act – While the Minister accepted the evidence that these projects will have adverse effects on our climate and on very many protected species and places across our environment, she refused to act on that evidence to change the risk assessment of Whitehaven’s Narrabri coal mine expansion, MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project, and Idemitsu’s Ensham coal mine extension.
- Federal Court cases – ECoCeQ challenged the Minister decisions in the Federal Court and appealed to the Full Federal Court, arguing the Minister made key legal errors when she denied the impact of the serious and irreversible climate harm these new coal projects are likely to cause. In May 2024, the Full Federal Court dismissed the Living Wonders appeals.
- ECoCeQ has now lost its application for special leave to the High Court. ECoCeQ had asked the High Court to clarify the Australian Environment Minister’s legal obligations when assessing two coal mines for their grave risk of climate harm right across the Australian environment.
MEDIA CONTACT: Miki Perkins, 03 8341 3110, [email protected]
--- MEDIA RELEASE ENDS ---
Environment Council of Central Queensland is a small volunteer-run environment council, formed in Mackay, covering Central QLD from the outback to the ocean. Surround by reefs, rainforest, koalas, and a staggering number of coal mines, the group formed out of rapidly growing concern for the health and future of the local environment and the impact local developments are having on our planet’s climate. www.ecoceq.org
Environmental Justice Australia is a national public interest legal organisation. We work on the most pressing environmental justice issues of our time. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities we serve, running game-changing court cases, high-stakes legal interventions and bold advocacy campaigns. We hold government and corporations to account, for a safe climate, thriving nature, justice and radically better world. www.envirojustice.org.au
We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Australia on which we live and work, and to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
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