New Acland remained compliant with approvals, Federal Government confirms

A near 10-month investigation by the Federal Government into whether New Acland dug outside approved areas has concluded. Here’s what the investigation found.

The Federal Government has confirmed it won’t be taking any compliance action over allegations the New Acland Coal Mine was digging outside approved areas as an investigation found the mine had remained “compliant”.

In Senate Estimates this week, Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters asked the Department of Environment was investigating New Acland over “potential noncompliance in relation to the digging of West Pit”.

“It’s a new pit that they’ve dug that transcends the limits of the stages 2 and 3 EPBC approvals,” Ms Waters said.

“The Minister made a statement, back in December I think the Minister said that you folk had become aware of the noncompliance, and I just wanted to know whether an investigation is underway.

“My understanding is that the physical location of the pit that was dug was outside the parameters of the EPBC approvals; so how did you reach the conclusion that it was in compliance?”

Department of Environment and Energy compliance division assistant secretary Monica Collins told Senate Estimates the department had received “a compliance allegation about New Acland … in December 2019”.

“After reviewing all of the available information we formed a view that the approval holder remained compliant and so we’re not taking any compliance action on that one,” she said.

“My recollection is that there are a number of approvals associated with the mine there and that one of the approvals did cover the pits in question.

“I will confirm that on notice.”

Ms Collins said this was the only potential noncompliance issue the department had investigated recently relating to New Acland.

She said this investigation concluded “relatively recently”.