Community calls on Peter Khalil and Albanese Government for No new coal this Christmas or into the future

Outrage over Albanese govt imminent coal mine approvals with nationwide protests at Labor MPs offices

The Albanese government has rejected legal requests to assess the environmental and climate harm of three new coal mine expansions, sparking nationwide protests at Labor MP’s offices today.

The rejection of the legal requests means the Albanese government is on the brink of approving three climate wrecking coal projects, BHP’s Caval RIdge coal mine in central Queensland, Jenlinbah’s Lake Vermont coal mine in central Queensland and Idemitsu’s Boggabri coal mine in north west NSW.

This follows Labor Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approving 3 coal mine projects in September 2024 which was met with outrage and resignations from Peter Khalil’s advisory group on climate and environment.

A snap protest was held outside Labor MP Peter Khalil’s office on Sydney Road today which was attended by about 70 people. The Climate Choir attended and sang climate carols. We don’t think Peter heard them, if he was inside. Staff kept the entrance doors locked while we were there.

John Englart, spokesperson for Climate Action Merribek highlighted that Peter Khalil had signed the Climate Emergency declaration in 2016, but had failed to live up to that declaration. He also highlighted the Albanese Government was elected with a mandate for climate Action in 2022, including to update environmental laws and include a climate trigger, just as Albanese had proposed in 2005:

“Anthony Albanese claims to be a climate leader, but he’s acting like a climate denier. In September the Albanese government approved three huge new thermal coal mines that will emit 1.4 billion tonnes of climate pollution. In November Albanese cancelled Labor’s promised reforms to national environmental laws. Now his government is about to approve three more new coal mines. This is not climate leadership, this is climate denial and destruction.”

“Every coal and gas project that is approved by the Albanese government undermines progress made on renewable energy. Emissions from our coal and gas exports are 3 times higher than our domestic emissions. It’s time we stopped the denial and accepted responsibility for the pollution our coal and gas exports cause and stop approving new coal and gas mines.”

This was one of several protests outside Labor MP offices around the country, including in Sydney outside the Prime Minister’s office, in Canberra, In Brisbane, and in Tweed Heads.

Local Merribek climate Impacts

Let us be clear. Here in Merri-bek we already feel the impacts and pay the costs of climate inaction. Climate change damages is already driving up Insurance costs, whether you live in a high risk zone or not. There are now 12,000 properties in Merribek now at flood risk due to climate change. Over 20,000 people are vulnerable in Merribek to extreme heat. Both increased flood risk and increase in extreme heat is driven by increasing emissions from #FossilFuels while the Labor Government continues to approve new coal and gas.

Photos and videos from the protests on Flickr:

Snap action at Peter Khalil's office, Melbourne

Background:

The International Energy Agency has said there can be no new coal mines approved if we are to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming and meet the goals of the Paris agreement, but the Albanese government has approved 28 new coal and gas mines and looks set to approve three more this week.

There are currently 36 coal mining projects and 6 gas projects awaiting decision on Minister Plibersek’s desk under Australia’s environment laws. When fossil fuel projects are referred for assessment, Australia’s environment law does not require consideration of how carbon pollution caused by these projects can harm the environment. So far, the Albanese Government has chosen not to consider climate change, and is refusing to amend Australia’s environment act to include climate change. The Albanese government’s Safeguard Mechanism has limited consideration of emissions. Less than 10% of emissions from coal mines are considered under Australia’s safeguard mechanism because it only considers direct emissions produced during mining and ignores the emissions produced from the burning of the coal.

This week the Albanese government refused ‘reconsideration requests’ for three coal mines, Boggabri, Caval Ridge and Lake Vermont Meadowbrook. The requests were made by the Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ) represented by lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia as part of the Living Wonders legal intervention. ECoCeQ asked the Albanese government to reconsider the assessment of the coal mines, to assess their climate harm and how the climate pollution they would create could impact Australia’s environment and threatened species.

This week, the Albanese government has been accused of undermining Australia’s Pacific neighbours in a landmark legal case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Vanuatu and other Pacific states brought the case to the ICJ arguing that developed countries have a legal responsibility to tackle climate change, beyond existing UN frameworks.

Australia is opposing the Pacific states position and argues that large emitting countries should not be held to account for the climate pollution produced by the coal and gas they export. In the ICJ this week Australia sided with petrostates like Saudi Arabia, China and the USA to minimise their legal liability in contributing to climate change. Australia should be partnering with its Pacific neighbours and acting on their calls to stop approving new coal and gas mines, instead it is siding with coal and gas corporations to maintain its place as one of the world’s largest coal and gas exporters.

The Albanese government’s refusal to reconsider the assessment of the three coal mines and not assess their climate harm paves the way for imminent approval of the Boggabri, Lake Vermont Meadowbrook and Caval Ridge coal mines. If approved, these three mines would add 850 million tonnes of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, close to double Australia’s annual emission from all sources last year.

Idemitsu’s Boggabri thermal coal project in NSW north west region on Gomeroi country – decision is overdue, already approved by NSW Government, a Living Wonders reconsideration request has been refused. The project would produce 63 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
BHP Mitsubishi’s Caval Ridge coal project, in central Queensland on Barada Barna country: EPBC assessment decision due 11 October 2024, already approved by the Queensland Government, also has a Living Wonders reconsideration request has been refused. The project would produce 473 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Jellinbah Group’s Lake Vermont coal project In Queensland’s Bowen Basin, EPBC portal says the Albanese Government is “considering final decision”, a Living Wonders reconsideration request has been refused. The project would produce 348 million tonnes of carbon emissions.