Farmers: Take action on Acland

Darling Downs residents are calling on investigations into the New Acland Coal mine to be finalised.

People protesting the New Acland mine outside Parliament House in Brisbane.

Residents of the Darling Downs are calling on investigations into the New Acland Coal mine to be finalised after reports of “noise, dust” and “water impacts.”

The New Acland Coal Mine is a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Hope Group and operates 35km northwest of Toowoomba.

It has been under investigation by the Department of Environment and Science (DES) since 2018 over allegations it was mining outside of its approved footprint.

Brymaroo farmer Frank Ashman said residents of the Darling Downs region had been impacted by noise, dust and potential underground water impacts.

“It is unacceptable that the local community has had to wait more than two and a half years so far for the Environment Department to complete an investigation into what seems like a clear and obvious violation of New Acland Coal’s mining approval,” Mr Ashman said.

“Neighbours have put up with noise, dust, and potential underground water impacts that were not assessed in the New Acland Stage 2 mine Environmental Impact Statement.”

It comes after the Electoral Commission of Queensland released the biggest spenders list in the lead-up to last year’s state election and the first since new spending caps were introduced.

New Hope Corporation Limited was ranked in as the fourth highest, spending $658,528 during the state election campaign.

“It is remarkable that after three years of investigations, the Environment Department has still not prosecuted New Acland for mining West Pit – mining that any member of the public can log on to Google Maps satellite and see for themselves,” Lock the Gate Alliance Queensland spokeswoman Ellie Smith said.

“The mining of West Pit would have been part of New Hope’s unapproved Stage 3 expansion, yet the company ignored this lack of approval and ongoing legal challenges, to mine the area anyway.”

A spokeswoman from DES said investigations into the matter are continuing.

“The department is reviewing the information and is considering the next appropriate steps,” the spokeswoman said.

“We do not place a timeline on when investigations are finalised.

“The environmental authority remains in place requiring New Acland to abide by the conditions.”

The Chronicle contacted New Hope Group for a response but a spokesman declined to comment.