Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected coal mine applications previously but approved one in Queensland on Thursday night.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
She said there were no grounds to reject the company’s development application,which must be considered on a case-by-case basis and not for its cumulative contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Albanese government has to make decisions in accordance with the facts and the national environment law – that’s what happens on every project,and that’s what’s happened here,” she said.
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The federal environment minister has the final say,under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act,over major projects that will impact matters of national environmental significance such as endangered plants and animals as well as World Heritage areas and national parks.
Greens environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said the act was broken. She is calling for a new “climate trigger” law that would add climate change to the list of issues governments must consider.
“Polluting projects are failing to be assessed for the emissions they create. We desperately need a climate trigger which will stop new coal and gas in its tracks,” she said.
The Climate Council demanded that Plibersek reject the mine for its greenhouse emissions and the Move Beyond Coal movement called a snap rally outside her electoral office in Sydney’s Redfern on Friday.