New South Wales plans to seek legislative approval for continued production at the Mount Pleasant coal mine, after the High Court dismissed the operator’s appeal over its development consent.
The government announced on October 19 that it would introduce a bill in the next sitting fortnight. The proposed statutory consent would permit production of 16.5 million tonnes a year until 2032. No such legislation was passed by the announcement.
MACH Energy would first have to sign a legally binding guarantee maintaining the current permanent workforce through 2032. The government says the statutory consent would not take effect before that agreement is executed.
Ministers say about 400 jobs are at risk. Their proposed response is specific to this mine, rather than a general approval route for other projects.
The High Court’s October 7 order dismissed MACH’s appeal with costs. That was judicial review of planning approval, not a court determination of whether the mine should operate on its merits.
The government says court proceedings concerning approval through 2048 will continue. Its proposed legislation would not itself supply that longer permission, and it promises additional conditions addressing downstream greenhouse-gas emissions.
