Fresh calls from resources lobby for re-elected Palaszczuk Government to approve New Acland

There have been renewed calls from Queensland’s top resources lobby group for the re-elected state government to approve the New Acland stage three expansion.

Cardboard cutouts of workers at the New Acland Coal Mine.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane has called on the re-elected Labor Government to approve the New Acland Coal Mine stage three project.

Mr Macfarlane, who is a member of the LNP and was previously the federal member for Groom, said Toowoomba residents had voted in support of the mine across all three of the region’s electorates.

“It was good to see a strong vote for candidates that supported New Acland,” he said.

“We can’t allow activists who aren’t interested in anything other than their own ideological view of the world to cripple the economy by taking things back to court.

“We want to work with the Premier and her government to get more jobs across the resources sector … but Acland is the first thing that should be done.”

Mr Macfarlane said there would be 600 jobs off the back of the approvals.

The project is currently facing a challenge in the High Court.