Super quarry expansion under review as leaked emails surface

Confidential government emails have revealed concerns about a super quarry south of Brisbane which is currently under a federal review with a public submission period about to end.

Up to 1 million tonnes a year of Barro product is transported via road trucks on to Mount Cotton Rd. Picture: Barro Group

Confidential government correspondence about operations at a super quarry south of Brisbane have surfaced, revealing federal officials were alarmed about major, unapproved changes for expanding the quarry.

The previously undisclosed correspondence about Barro Group’s Mount Cotton Quarry expansion show officials were concerned about unfulfilled environmental protections, and changes to the project that were never properly reassessed.

One of the official emails which is now public, and trucks at the Mount Cotton site.

The emails, exchanged between federal environmental officials and Mount Cotton residents and copied to Redland City Council, show senior staff inside the federal Environment Department were aware of concerns about operations at the quarry, owned by Victoria-based Barro Group.

The emails were made public this month after the Environment Department decided to launch a re-assessment to reconsider whether the quarry expansion should be a “controlled action” under federal laws.

A formal notice calling for public submissions was also issued by the federal government on May 19, inviting comment on whether the federal government should reassess the project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

The federal government on Saturday said its “reconsideration” of the project was due to new information.

Initially, the quarry expansion was determined not to be a controlled action in 2012, allowing the Barro Group to proceed with its plans under certain conditions without further federal approval.

The Mount Cotton site. Picture: Barro Group

However, the federal government was asked in February to reconsider that determination with claims the quarry was not meeting stipulated conditions and that the koala had been listed endangered, a substantial change since the original decision.

The leaked email correspondence suggested the project had changed substantially since it was first assessed in 2012, with federal officials openly questioning whether their original decision remained valid.

The most notable new details included allegations that Barro had not notified the federal department of “significant changes” to the project, along with the 2022 listing of the koala as endangered under federal law.

Other key issues raised in the correspondence included missing wildlife corridors, unbuilt koala fencing and fauna crossings, and increased truck traffic.

Large trucks instead of a low-impact conveyor belt move the material from one part of the site to another before the material is processed and then put into road trucks to be transported via Mount Cotton Rd. Picture: Barro Group

The emails showed that a promised low-impact conveyor belt system that Barro agreed to when it first applied for federal environmental assessment in 2011, was unlikely to be built before 2040, despite quarrying operations starting in mid-2024.

In a February email, federal officers also confirmed the quarry’s internal roads, once expected to carry two trucks per day, now carry an estimated 16 dump trucks an hour.

Up to 1 million tonnes of product per year is then transported via road trucks on Mount Cotton Rd.

In a statement on Saturday, the department said: “Following consultation on the request (for reconsideration), the Minister (Senator Murray Watt) or his delegate, will decide whether to confirm the original decision, or whether to revoke the decision and substitute a new decision.”

Mount Cotton residents Anthony and Kerstin Moloney have called for extra time for residents to get submissions in to the federal government. Picture: Contributed

Neighbour Anthony Moloney said most locals were unaware a federal submission process was opened to the public to comment on the super quarry.

“They have this opportunity but it closes on Tuesday – so it is unlikely that there will be many submissions complaining about the changes,” he said.

“If Redland City Council was serious about protecting the koala and using it on its logo, it would have made a submission to the federal government and taken action before now instead of buck passing.

“The federal government should extend the submission period so that those affected are notified and have time to submit.”

In one of the emails in February, Redland City Council said it was taking the matter seriously and seeking independent advice.

“Council is also seeking independent advice in relation to the approval, the commencement of the use and the associated conditions within Council’s remit,” the email stated.

Submissions close at midnight, Tuesday June 3.

Barro Group was asked for comment.