High court blocks coalmine expansion

Australia's highest court ruled on Wednesday that approval of MACH Energy's Mount Pleasant coalmine expansion in Muswellbrook was invalid. The court found the Independent Planning Commission failed to consider minimising emissions from coal when sold and burnt overseas.

Minns calls decision narrow and technical

NSW premier Chris Minns told media on Thursday that activists should not get overexcited about the ruling. He described it as a very narrow, technical decision about a consideration for the Independent Planning Commission.

“It was a very narrow, technical decision about a consideration for the IPC.”

Government won't change mining laws

Minns said the government had no plans to change NSW laws or regulations in response to the decision. He argued the state's mining industry had a world class reputation for safety and environmental standards that should not be jettisoned.

Mine can reapply through commission

Natural resources minister Courtney Houssos has spoken to the CEO of the mine about continuing an application through the Independent Planning Commission. Minns said he believed the Mount Pleasant decision can be remade consistent with the recent Hunter Valley Operations approval.

Lawyer welcomes government restraint

Elaine Johnson, director of Johnson Legal representing Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group in the court proceedings, said it was right for the government to respect the result and not seek a kneejerk legislative response to the high court decision.

Greens say decision affects other projects

NSW Greens climate spokesperson Sue Higginson said the court's decision upends the legal reality facing the Hunter Valley Operations project and could pose significant legal difficulty. She said the high court found NSW planning authorities failed to consider 98 percent of the Mount Pleasant coalmine's emissions.

Higginson criticises government coal policy

Higginson said Minns has either received bad advice or is in denial about the decision's impact. She argued the government's coal policy explicitly rules out consideration of downstream emissions, the exact same emissions the high court has now said must be considered under law.

Global trend holds corporations accountable

Johnson said the decision aligns with a growing body of cases worldwide stating that corporations and governments are responsible for emissions generated by fossil fuel exports. The Paris Agreement provides a global accounting mechanism but does not displace accountability for exported emissions.