Joel Fitzgibbon piles pressure on Annastacia Palaszczuk over Acland mine

Labor frontbencher says Queensland government could immediately approve stalled New Acland coal project despite litigation.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon.

Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon says the Queensland government could immediately approve the stalled New Acland coal project, even though it is subject to litigation in the High Court.

Intensifying pressure on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to end the impasse on the controversial Darling Downs mine expansion, Mr Fitzgibbon said the risk of proceeding while the High Court case was afoot lay with developer New Hope, not the state Labor government.

“Let’s not mince words: it is true, as you point out, that the Queensland government doesn’t have to wait for the High Court decision,” federal Labor’s agriculture and resources spokesman told 2GB radio’s Ray Hadley.

“It could approve Acland – New Acland mine – today. I do understand why the Premier and her minister say, ‘well, it’s a bit tough while there is a High Court judgment hanging over our heads’, but I say that’s the problem for the company, not the state.

“If the company wants to proceed with further investment despite the fact that they’ve got a High Court … process hanging over their head, well, that’s their risk.

“That’s a matter for them, and it’s for them to determine whether they should take that risk.”

Mr Fitzgibbons broke ranks with his state counterparts over the $900m redevelopment alongside Ipswich-based federal colleague Shayne Neumann after New Hope retrenched 23 headquarters and port staff this week, blaming the delay in getting Acland stage-three past the Queensland government.

New Hope Coal employees at the Port of Brisbane, L-R, Robby Sharp, Brent Stewart, Harry Redmond and Dale Sharp. Picture: Glenn Hunt.

Twelve years of litigation came to a head last September when the state’s highest court, the Queensland Court of Appeal, came down decisively in favour of New Hope. But a coalition of farmers and environmentalists known as the Oakey Coal Action Alliance last month persuaded the High Court to hear the case, and if the appeal succeeds the approval process will have to start all over again in the Queensland Land Court.

Meanwhile, New Hope has warned it will continue to lay off staff because depleted coal reserves at the existing open-cut adjoining the ghost town of Acland, 150km west of Brisbane, make mining financially unviable, putting the company at risk.

Mr Fitzgibbon said thousands of jobs across would be affected if the mine folded.

He said Labor lost last year’s federal election, where it was hammered in Queensland’s coal belt, because the party had lost the trust of blue-collar workers, and Labor Anthony Albanese was striving to regain their faith.

Mr Fitzgibbon called for the national cabinet of the Prime Minister and premiers managing the COVID-19 response to be extended to the resources sector. “I think it’s about time we had a national cooperative approach … because coal alone (generated) $67bn in export income last year, much more when you aggregate the resources sector,” Mr Fitzgibbons said.

“So it’s the backbone of the Australian economy and I think nothing calls for more co-operation than this issue because it’s going to cost us a lot of jobs if we don’t get this right.”