Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland (EnvA) has condemned the Federal Government’s failure to act decisively on repeated environmental breaches by Vitrinite Pty Ltd, calling the penalties issued “a pathetic fine and a mockery of our environmental laws.”
In a letter sent to Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Murray Watt, EnvA has demanded urgent compliance action and transparency over ongoing investigations into the company’s repeated unauthorised land clearing across multiple projects within its Vulcan Coal Complex.
Vitrinite — which also trades as Queensland Coking Coal Pty Ltd and QLD Coal Aust No.1 Pty Ltd — has received multiple enforcement notices from both the Queensland and Federal Governments since 2022 for illegal clearing, contaminated water releases, not securing offset areas and failure to comply with approval conditions. Despite this record, the Albanese Government granted approval for the company’s Vulcan South Coal Mine in January 2025, even as a criminal investigation into earlier illegal clearing remained unresolved.
“Vitrinite has a long history of environmental breaches yet continues to operate as if our environmental laws don’t apply to them,” said Dr Coral Rowston, Director of EnvA.
“For a coal company like Vitrinite, the $19,800 infringement issued by the Department this year is nothing more than the cost of doing business. It sends the message that destroying threatened species habitat carries no real consequence.”
EnvA has raised particular concern about the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s decision not to use its powers under section 475 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to halt coal mining operations while investigations continue.
“No other offender would be allowed to continue reoffending while under criminal investigation.
“The Minister has the power to act — he just needs the will to use it,” said Dr Rowston.
EnvA’s correspondence to Minister Watt calls for:
- The criminal investigation into the Vulcan North Bulk Sample Project to be prioritised and finalised;
- Stronger penalties under section 142B of the EPBC Act to reflect the scale of environmental harm; and
- Vitrinite’s history of environmental non-compliance to be considered when assessing its proposed Callan Coking Coal Project.
EnvA also raised concerns that clearing within the Vulcan South project footprint has already occurred in areas identified for avoidance due to the presence of koala and greater glider habitat, and that offset requirements from earlier approvals remain unmet.
“It’s been more than 14 months since the illegal clearing was first reported, and yet no outcome has been delivered. Meanwhile, habitat for endangered wildlife continues to be bulldozed,” Dr Rowston said.
“Communities deserve confidence that our laws are being enforced. Right now, they’re being treated as optional.”
EnvA says this case exemplifies why major reform of Australia’s environmental law enforcement system is urgently needed.
“We are calling on the Minister to prove that our environmental laws mean something — because right now, they’re not protecting the environment, and they’re not deterring repeat offenders.”
EnvA - CQ 