New Acland mine owner New Hope Group says State’s actions show mine could be approved

NEW Hope Group has called for the immediate approval of New Acland Stage 3 following the Queensland Premier’s decision to approve a mine in Central Queensland just days before the state election campaign began.

New Hope Group chief operating officer Andrew Boyd said the recent approval of the Olive Downs mine west of Mackay was surprising.

“We were staggered by the Premier’s appearance in Mackay recently where she announced the approvals for Olive Downs,” Mr Boyd said.

“It is a great announcement for the resources sector but also confusing given the project is currently subject to a judicial review in the Supreme Court.

“Our workers and the Darling Downs community are wondering why one project can be approved while legal matters are unresolved while another, New Acland Stage 3, can’t.”

Mr Boyd said the announcement did however confirm what New Hope has been saying for the past two years.

“Governments do not need to wait for the courts in order to do their job and approve resource projects,” Mr Boyd said.

“The Premier’s announcement confirmed this.

“We have a commitment from the Queensland Opposition that they will approve the project as a priority. We want the same commitment from the Premier.

“In fact, the Premier could, in conjunction with the Opposition, sign off on the approvals immediately.

“There is nothing standing in her way.”

Mr Boyd said the loss of 175 jobs at site in the past year has had a devastating effect on the local economy.

“More than $26 million in wages have been lost to the local economy,’ Mr Boyd said.

“We also have $60 million in machinery parked up, gathering cobwebs.

“We just want the Premier to be fair, to be consistent and to treat us equally, not like second class citizens who don’t matter.”

The High Court will this morning hear the Oakey Coal Action Alliance’s appeal, the organisation’s last attempt to the Stage 3 expansion sent back to the Land Court.

Lock the Gate spokeswoman Ellie Smith said New Hope had “pulled out all stops to pressure the government to wave this approval through”.

“We commend the Queensland Palaszczuk Government for standing firm in the face of this pressure and allowing the High Court to consider this matter properly before any further decisions are made by governments,” she said.

“Above all the community of Oakey must be commended for standing up to this corporate bully and fighting for the preservation of some of the best farming country in Queensland, and the underground water that sustains the farms and communities.”