Mining magnate Clive Palmer’s controversial central Queensland coal challenge has been killed off in an Australian first.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected Mr Palmer’s proposal for an open-cut mining challenge close to Rockhampton beneath the nation’s environmental legal guidelines.
It is the primary time a coal mine has been refused beneath the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act because it was launched in 1999.
Ms Plibersek introduced on Wednesday she had determined, after six months of session, to not approve Mr Palmer’s challenge.
“I’ve decided that the adverse environmental impacts are simply too great,” she stated in a video posted on Twitter.
“The mine is an open-cut coal mine less than 10km from the Great Barrier Reef and the risk of pollution and irreversible damage to the reef is very real.”
Ms Plibersek stated the challenge would even have had an “unacceptable” impression on recent water within the space and would have posed a threat to the shallow ocean habitats of native fish and dugongs.
She made the decision after receiving about 9000 responses to her invitation in August final 12 months for public touch upon her draft determination to dam the mine.
The overwhelming majority of respondents – 98 per cent – supported rejecting the mine, she stated.
“After a thorough assessment of all of the information before me, I’ve decided to stick with my decision and I won’t be approving the central Queensland coal project,” Ms Plibersek stated on Wednesday.
Ms Plibersek’s determination to axe Mr Palmer’s mining challenge comes amid debate over Labor’s subsequent huge plans for environmental reforms.
In a key plank of its local weather coverage, Labor needs to revamp the prevailing “safeguard mechanism” to require heavy emitters to cut back their greenhouse fuel emissions by practically 5 per cent a 12 months.
Under the proposed replace to the Coalition-era cap and commerce scheme, the nation’s huge polluters will nonetheless be allowed to make use of limitless carbon credit to “offset” their emissions.
Peter Dutton has dominated out supporting the laws and on Wednesday claimed it could quantity to a tax.
Asked if he anticipated the Liberals to toe the get together line on the safeguard mechanism, the Opposition Leader stated: “Yes, our position has been clear – this is a tax imposed”.
“It’s going to drive up the cost of living.”
With the Coalition opposing the measure, Labor will want the assist of The Greens – who’ve a mandate to oppose new fossil gas tasks – within the Senate with the intention to go the related laws.
The Greens have stated they won’t assist the safeguard mechanism being utilized by new fuel and coal tasks. They are anticipated to name for more durable guidelines for emitters in return for his or her assist.
Labor now has to depend on the Coalition or The Greens and two crossbenchers to go laws by means of the higher home, after Lidia Thorpe defected from The Greens to take a seat on the crossbench.
The Albanese authorities might additionally face a problem from The Greens over the EPBC Act, which Labor plans to overtake in response to an unbiased evaluation which discovered the present regulation was not match for function.
The Greens have proposed their very own modification to the EPBC Act to put in a so-called local weather set off within the laws.
The local weather set off would require the related authorities minister to think about future local weather impacts, together with when it comes to emissions, when weighing up new fossil gas tasks.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
