Annastacia Palaszczuk’s choice: New Acland mine or no union money

Queensland’s mining union is threatening to withhold campaign support for the Palaszczuk government over its failure to approve the stalled New Acland coalmine ­expansion.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Dan Peled

Queensland’s mining union is threatening to withhold campaign support for the Palaszczuk Labor government at the October election over its failure to approve the stalled New Acland coalmine ­expansion.

CFMEU mining division state president Stephen Smyth said a meeting of the union’s senior ranks on Wednesday decided to take the hardline stance after growing uncertainty among its members about Labor’s support for the mining industry.

Mr Smyth said the Palaszczuk government’s refusal to make a decision until after the outcome of a High Court appeal by farmers and environmentalists was costing jobs.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has faced criticism from unions and, more recently, federal Labor frontbenchers over her insistence the government will wait for the court before considering approving the $900m expansion of the mine on the Darling Downs, west of Brisbane.

Last year, the mine operator, New Hope Group, laid off 170 workers and warned it would close the operation as it neared the end of its resource.

Mr Smyth said Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union members were “angry” and the union would not give any donations for Labor’s re-election bid. And while the union would support pro-mining candidates, specifically Mike Brunker in central Queensland, it might campaign against candidates who didn’t publicly support the mine expansion.

“New Acland is the driver, there is a lot of anger about it and questions about where Labor really stands on mining,’’ he said.

“We don’t intend to give any money to Labor and we are still discussing whether we will be running a negative campaign against certain Labor candidates with leaflet drops and corflutes.’’

Last month, federal Labor frontbenchers Joel Fitzgibbon and Shayne Neumann and Queensland ALP senator Anthony Chisholm called on the Premier to green-light the expansion.

New Hope has spent 13 years trying to get the redevelopment approved, saying the existing ore body near Oakey is close to exhaustion.

State Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister Anthony Lynham insisted the government was bound by a 2017 election commitment to let the legal process play out.

Mr Smyth said the government’s position contradicted its earlier willingness to issue approvals on resource projects during ongoing legal challenges.

“When the state is in desperate need of job-creating projects, our state government sits on its hands in regard to New Acland,’’ he said.

“The Premier and her ministers sound like a broken record when they claim they have a commitment to wait for court action to conclude. But we know both the Palaszczuk and Bligh governments found a way around the courts when they approved the Adani and Xstrata projects respectively. Both of these projects were subject to court action when they were approved.”

The state opposition has said it would approve the mine if it wins the election.

The New Hope Group says its victory in the Queensland Court of Appeal last year opened the way for the government to approve the project. If the Oakey Coal Action Alliance wins in the High Court — with a decision not expected for at least 12 months — the process will effectively restart.