Mine owner wants coal mining lease for Christmas
THE owner of the New Acland Coal Mine has called for the State Government to “show some leadership” and grant the Stage 3 project’s outstanding approvals before Christmas.
Toowoomba
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THE owner of the New Acland Coal Mine has called for Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to "show some leadership" and grant the Stage 3 project's outstanding approvals before Christmas.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, New Hope Group chief operating officer Andrew Boyd said the company met with Dr Lynham on Thursday last week for half an hour.
"At that meeting Minister Lynham told us that he was solely responsible for granting the mining leases for Stage 3," he said.
"But he was not able to give us any time frame as to when he would be in a position to make a decision on those mining leases."
Citing the Premier's intervention on approvals for the Adani Carmichael project in May, Mr Boyd said he was wondering when she would do the same for the Stage 3 project.
The mine has been seeking approvals for the controversial Stage 3 project for 12 years.
In recent years it has been tied up in a series of legal battles with the Oakey Coal Action Alliance.
Mr Boyd said the Oakey community, the mine's workforce, and 150 people who had lost their jobs earlier in the year because of a lack of approvals had "had a gutful of the uncertainty".
"So I'm calling on the Premier and Minister Lynham to step in, show some leadership and provide some certainty to our community and workforce before Christmas," he said.
Six weeks ago, New Acland Coal Mine secured orders from an earlier Court of Appeal judgment that meant the project did not have to go back to land court.
The Oakey Coal Action Alliance has since sought special leave to appeal to the High Court, arguing the matter requires a fresh hearing in the Land Court.
Minister Lynham said the New Acland Stage 3 project had received significant community interest and had a protracted legal history.
"My Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy has been diligently assessing the mining leases and the associated water licence applications," he said.