Submission guide report back

You called for mining companies to pay their way. And it worked.

JANUARY 2026 UPDATE

The decision is in – and the Minister listened.
Strong conditions now require AGL to pay for water use, with revenue flowing back to the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland after years of community advocacy.

Read the full update here

Last year, the Latrobe Valley community raised concerns and wrote submissions calling on the government to properly scrutinise AGL’s plan to take vast amounts of Latrobe River water to rehabilitate its Loy Yang coal mine.

You called for transparency, accountability, and for coal companies to finally pay the price for decades of environmental damage.

The Water Minister is now seeking public feedback on a bold proposal: requiring AGL to pay for every megalitre of surface water it uses to flood the mine pit.

It’s a direct response to widespread calls for transparency and accountability; recommendations EJA made in our submission guide and echoed by many in the community.

This is a major step forward. And it's your win

Have your say before 22 July

Why this matters

AGL’s application would give the company access to more than two Sydney Harbours’ worth of water from the Latrobe River. That water would be used to turn the Loy Yang mine pit into an artificial lake.

It’s a massive extraction from a river already under stress due to climate change and years of pollution. And it’s just the start: similar proposals are expected soon for Yallourn and Hazelwood, bringing the total water demand for mine rehab to more than 4.5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

After receiving strong community feedback in the first consultation, Victoria’s Water Minister sought an independent expert report. Based on that advice – and your submissions – she’s now asking:

Should AGL be required to pay between $200–$260 per megalitre of surface water, adjusted each year for inflation?

If so, how should that money be spent?

It’s an opportunity to push for polluters to take responsibility – and to ensure any revenue helps restore the same river system it was taken from.

What do EJA lawyers recommend?

In our 2024 submission guide, EJA lawyers called for:

Coal companies to pay a fair price for the surface water they extract for mine rehab.

That the community be given transparency around those costs.

Now, both of those ideas are on the table and you can use your voice to make sure they’re locked in.

Read the submission guide

What you can do

Whether you care about the health of the Latrobe River, the integrity of the mine rehabilitation process, or making sure polluters pay their share, now is the time to have your say again. You can make a submission using the online survey until Monday 22 July 2025.

Make a submission