Waratah Coal has discarded an appeal against the Land Court of Queensland’s recommendation of refusal of a major coal project.
The Galilee coal project, intended for central Queensland, was projected to produce 40 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum with capacity for future expansion, making it the largest thermal coal mine in Australia.
However, in November 2022 the Land Court recommended a refusal of the project after a three-year court battle.
The Court cited the unacceptable impacts the mine would have on climate change, as well as the human rights of Queenslanders and cultural rights of First Nations peoples, as reason for its decision.
Waratah Coal lodged an appeal to the decision, which it has recently withdrawn.
The withdrawal was a welcome surprise to Youth Verdict and The Bimblebox Alliance, who were parties against Waratah Coal in court.
“Land Court President Kingham made clear in her judgement that coal projects should not be assessed only for their economic return, but also for their impact on nature and human rights,” Sharyn Munro from The Bimblebox Alliance said.
“The discontinuation of this appeal gives hope to us all — the inhabitants of Bimblebox, the people of Queensland and future generations.”
Final decision over the life of the Galilee project now rests with Queensland Resources Minister, Scott Stewart, as well as the state Department of Environment and Science.
In a similar vein, Clive Palmer responded on Friday, February 10 to the Federal Government’s decision not to approve another of his coal mines.
The press conference followed Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek’s decision to knock back Palmer’s recent central Queensland coal project.
Plibersek’s decision was reported as the first time an Australian coal mine had been rejected on such grounds, though it was not the first instance of a broader coal project meeting the same fate.