As Queensland communities begin recovering from devastating flood events during the hottest summer on record, Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland (EnvA) has condemned the Albanese Government’s approval of the Middlemount Coal Mine Southern Open Cut Extension Project.
Environment Minister Murray Watt has approved Yancoal and Peabody’s proposal to extend the life of the Middlemount coal mine to 2044 — seven years beyond its current approval — allowing the extraction of an additional 112 million tonnes of coal.
The project will clear more than 180 hectares of koala habitat, including endangered brigalow and poplar box woodlands, and divert a 4.5-kilometre section of Roper Creek — an important wildlife corridor supporting koalas, greater gliders and other native species.
Advice from the Independent Expert Scientific Committee identified the risks of reducing riparian continuity, declining water quality, increasingly saline residual voids, and cumulative groundwater impacts.
“Surely the government should have heeded the scientific advice from its own expert committee,” said EnvA Director Dr Coral Rowston.
EnvA estimates the expansion will result in 236 million tonnes of climate pollution from the extraction and burning of exported coal — equivalent to more than half of Australia’s annual domestic emissions in 2024–25.
“At a time when Queenslanders are facing climate-fuelled floods and record-breaking heat, the Federal Government is pouring fuel on the fire.
“This proposal will bulldoze critical koala and greater glider habitat, divert Roper Creek, and generate hundreds of millions of tonnes of climate pollution — all to extend a coal mine that should be winding down, not expanding.”
EnvA has also raised concerns about the project’s proposed biodiversity offsets, arguing they fail to meet Commonwealth requirements.
“Offsets are supposed to replace what’s lost — but this one doesn’t even come close.
“You can’t offset extinction. The only responsible option was to refuse this project.”
The approval comes despite recent amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act removing exemptions for vegetation clearing along waterways in the Great Barrier Reef catchment. The Middlemount expansion will clear riparian vegetation, realign waterways and discharge mine-affected water within the GBR catchment.
Since coming to office, the Albanese Government has approved 32 new and expanding coal and gas projects. The Climate Council estimates the lifetime emissions from these projects exceed 6.5 billion tonnes of CO₂-e.
“You cannot claim climate leadership while continuing to approve new coal expansions,” Dr Rowston said.
“Climate-impacted communities have had enough. Every new coal project takes us further in the wrong direction and undermines Australia’s commitments to a just and orderly transition away from fossil fuels.
“If the Federal Government was serious about protecting Australians — it would stop approving projects that supercharge global heating.
“Signing international pledges is irrelevant if there is no action associated with meeting these agreements.
“Enough is enough. We need real climate action — not more coal mine expansions.”
EnvA - CQ 