Tanya Plibersek gives green light to four coalmine extensions despite green opposition
The Albanese government has signed off on extending the life of four coalmines that employ thousands of workers, under strict environmental conditions and in the face of opposition from green groups.
The Albanese government has extended the life of four coal mines that employ thousands of workers, under strict environmental conditions and in the face of opposition from green groups.
The approvals announced on Thursday cover three mines in Queensland and one in NSW that produce coal used in steelmaking, and include a green tick for Vitrinite to proceed with its Vulcan South mine in the Bowen Basin despite allegations from environmentalists that it has illegally destroyed koala habitat.
The company rejects the claim.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who has been under heavy fire from mining industry leaders over approval delays and vetoes, said the government made decisions on a case by case basis in accordance with the facts and the law.
“That’s what happens in every case, and that’s what has happened here. There are no new mines. They are all extensions of existing operations,” she said.
The four approvals were made in time to meet statutory deadlines. The approvals include the Boggabri coal mine in NSW, which is majority-owned by Japan’s Idemitsu and employs about 875 full-time workers and contractors.
BHP received a green light to extend its Caval Ridge Mine in the Bowen Basin, subject to 60 conditions, including land clearing limits.
The privately owned Jellinbah Group received approval for its Lake Vermont Meadowbrook coal mine project.
Ms Plibersek said the four projects would support about 3000 jobs.
“All of the mines produce minerals essential for producing steel for things such as homes, bridges, trains, wind farms and solar panels,” she said.
“There are currently no feasible renewable alternatives for making steel.”
Ms Plibersek said all of the projects would have to comply with Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions, as she tried to head off criticism from the Greens.
“They will all be assessed against the government’s strong climate safeguard laws that the Greens party and independents helped design, and that they voted for,” she said.
“The federal government has imposed 240 strict conditions across the projects to ensure the environment is protected.”
The Albanese government has not approved any new coal mines this year.
The Boggabri coal mine modification is subject to more than 40 conditions, with the government noting hundreds of jobs would be at risk if it had not been approved.
The Horse Pit extension at the Caval Ridge mine that is part of BHP’s BMA operations is expected to support more than 1400 jobs.
More than 70 conditions were imposed on Jellinbah’s Lake Vermont Meadowbrook project, expected to support about 430 full-time jobs.
Vitrinite received approval from the Queensland government to build the new Vulcan South mine earlier this year, but has since been embroiled in a controversy over whether it jumped the gun on federal approvals in clearing 47 hectares of land.
Ms Plibersek cleared the approval path for the other three mine extensions earlier this month when she rejected environmentalist appeals that she needed to consider the impact of the projects on climate change.
Her call meant Idemitsu, BHP and Jellinbah could avoid being bogged down in costly legal appeals based around climate.
The mine applications were subject to of a legal bid – known as the Living Wonders case – launched in 2022 by the Environment Council of Central Queensland, which argued that Ms Plibersek was required to consider the lasting climate damage that the coal mine expansions could cause.
In May, the Federal Court rejected the law suit, noting the minister could not be satisfied that emissions from the mines would be a “substantial cause” of climate harms to protected species, places and ecosystems.
More Coverage
