Labor’s Tanya Plibersek BLOCKS a huge coal mine because it was near the Great Barrier Reef – despite surging energy costs and Australia earning billions from exports
- Tanya Plibersek has blocked Clive Palmer’s proposed mine
- The coal mine presented a significant environmental risk
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Environment minister Tanya Plibersek has blocked billionaire Clive Palmer’s proposed coal mine in the first ever use of federal environmental laws to reject a coal project.
Ms Plibersek announced her decision to block the proposed Central Queensland coal mine on Wednesday.
She explained that the mine presented a high risk of pollution and environmental damage to the Great Barrier Reef, which is less than 10km from the project.
Mr Palmer’s company, Mineralogy Pty Ltd, had filed an application to build the open cut coal mine.
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Environment minister Tanya Plibersek (pictured) has blocked billionaire Clive Palmer’s proposed Central Queensland coal mine
‘I wanted to let you know after a thorough assessment of all of the information before me, I’ve decided to stick to my decision and I won’t be approving the Central Queensland coal project,’ Ms Plibersek said in her announcement.
‘I decided that the adverse environmental impacts are simply too great.’
‘The mine is an open cut coal mine less than 10 kilometres from the Great Barrier Reef and the risk of pollution and irreversible damage to the reef is very real.’
The environment minister explained that Mr Palmer’s mine ‘would have unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows that feed dugoings and provide breeding grounds for fish just off the coast’.
Ms Plibersek revealed in her address that 9000 public submissions were filed to parliament in just 10 business days opposing the proposed coal mine.
