Green groups say they will challenge state government over New Acland water licence

Anti-mining activists used an ad hoc protest at the Royal Toowoomba Show to announce they will challenge the state government’s decision to grant New Acland Coal a water licence for its stage 3 expansion.

Vowing to challenge the expanding New Acland Coal mine's water licence in the Land Court are (from left) Gayle Pendler and Kushla Gale.

Environmental activists have vowed to take the Queensland government to the Land Court over its decision to grant New Acland Coal a water licence for its stage 3 expansion.

Oakey Coal Action Alliance secretary Paul King made the announcement during a protest at the entrance of the Royal Toowoomba Show on Friday.

It comes just three days after the Department of Water finalised an internal review into the December 2022 decision to grant the water licence and found that everything was above board.

“We are here to protect water for farmers in the Darling Downs,” Mr King said.

“The internal review upheld the original decision but the legislation allows for that to be tested fully in the Land Court and that is what we intend to do because we cannot just lay down and let those farms go dry.”

“We are currently assessing our prospects with barristers and we will make sure we have a good case before we go.”

Maps of the proposed Stage 3 expansion of the New Acland Coal Mine. The area is green shows the new coal pits. The town of Acland is in the centre.

Mr King said OCAA would call on the court to test the modelling the department used to base its decision on.

In the meantime he wrote to the operators of the New Acland Mine, the New Hope Group, asking that it stop all work on the expansion.

This is despite more than 100 workers returning to the site in the past month, about a year after they were laid off during the previous unsuccessful Land Court Challenge.

“We have written to the New Hope Group and outlined our view that to proceed now would be hazardous for them,” Mr King said.

“We have not had a response yet.”

The mine operator expects to be shipping coal by October this year, after ground work is complete.

When asked about the prospect of a challenge, a New Hope Group spokesman said the expansion had been thoroughly tested.

“The Queensland government has approved New Acland Mine stage 3,” he said.

“The Land Court process, the Co-ordinator General’s extensive consultation process, the separate independent assessments of the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the Minister for Resources, the thorough examination by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water and most recently the independent, internal review evaluated every aspect of the project and found New Acland Mine Stage Three stacks up environmentally, socially and financially.”

The department was also contacted for comment but declined with a spokeswoman saying the department was unaware of any formal legal challenge.