Queensland government prioritises coal over koalas

Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland is calling on the Queensland government to make sure that proposed coal mines are assessed in line with the State’s environmental legislation.

Vitrinite’s “Vulcan Complex” coal mine is the most recent example of how the current assessment guidelines are failing our endangered species and ecosystems.  Vitrinite is progressively growing their coal mine in an area of Central Queensland that contains large tracts of native vegetation vital to many endangered species and ecosystems in the highly disturbed Bowen Basin.

Media has previously reported at least eight coal projects in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area have been exempted from requiring environmental impact statements by the Queensland Government because they are considered small and not meeting the arbitrary 2 million tonnes of coal per year which automatically requires thorough assessment of environmental and social impacts.

The Vulcan complex is a 70 km long greenfield coal project planned between Moranbah and Dysart in Central QLD.  While promoted by owner Vitrinite as a single, continuous project , the approvals have been split into three different parts which are each being assessed individually. Critics argue this has allowed the company to avoid stringent environmental assessment.

The first part of the project, “Vulcan Coal” was a 1.95 million tonnes per annum coal mine.  Despite the mine clearing over 200 ha of koala habitat and large areas of the habitat of other threatened species, the Queensland government decided to provide an approval without requiring a detailed environmental impact assessment.

Last week, the Queensland Palaszczuk Government quietly granted an environmental authority to Vitrinite for a rail loop, coal processing and handling plant, and a new open-cut pit as part of the larger “Vulcan Complex”, despite the increasing impacts on koalas and other endangered species. 

The third part of the project, “Vulcan South”, is another 1.95 million tonnes per annum coal mine, is currently being assessed without requiring an environmental impact statement, despite destroying more than a 1000 hectares of koala habitat and about 75 hectares of greater glider habitat.

Vitrinite proposes mining 1.95 million tonnes of coal each year at both “Vulcan Coal” and “Vulcan South”. Individually, these projects fall just below the Queensland Government’s two million tonnes per year threshold that trigger a more detailed Environmental Impact Assessment.  If all parts of the project were applied for at the same time, Vitrinite would have had to submit a detailed environmental impact statement and would have triggered assessment under federal environmental legislation.

Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland director Doctor Coral Rowston said, “The Queensland Palaszczuk Government’s arbitrary threshold for more stringent environmental assessment allows coal mining companies to game the system, and that’s exactly what is happening here.

“The lack of an environmental impact assessment means the state government has effectively approved more than half of the massive Vulcan complex behind closed doors. Queenslanders expect much greater transparency from their government.

“It is clear to that Vitrinite is using loopholes in the Queensland Government’s assessment process to avoid scrutiny through its staged development of the project.

“It is also clear that the Queensland government is not appropriately implementing the environmental legislation when making decisions about whether an EIS is required.

“The Queensland Government needs to prioritise koalas and greater gliders over coal mines, particularly at a time when fossil-fuel driven global warming is putting the unique ecosystems of Central Queensland at ever increasing peril.

“We hold out little hope the Palaszczuk Government will reject Vulcan South so we have written to federal environment Minister Plibersek. We sincerely hope that she recognises the sham process that has gone on here and puts a stop to the clearing of even more koala habitat in this beautiful part of Queensland. 

“There is no future in coal, but the government needs to make sure there is a future for our koalas.”