Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will reassess 18 major coal and gas proposals, including 13 based in Queensland.

It comes after the Environment Council of Central Queensland, represented by Environmental Justice Australia, launched a legal intervention in July.

The group asked Ms Plibersek reconsider the coal and gas proposals to account for their contribution to serious climate harms across the country.

“Until now, former environment ministers failed to take climate change into account when considering which animals, plants and places could be harmed by a coal or gas proposal,” ECoCeQ president Christine Carlisle said. 

“Assessing the risks and harm of new coal or gas should account for all the evidence, including how it would contribute to climate breakdown.”

The proposals across NSW, Queensland and Western Australia are open for public comment until November 24, with details listed on the EPBC Act public portal.

“Our client has employed a rarely used provision of the EPBC Act to make sure the application of environmental law in Australia accounts for the reality of climate change,” Environmental Justice Australia principal lawyer Hollie Kerwin said.  

“Minister Plibersek will reassess all of these proposals, and now it’s up to everyone in the community to speak up about why the contribution to climate change of any of these proposals must be considered when approving them, to protect our living wonders.

“Our client’s legal intervention is deliberately challenging proposals across our country. There are proposals to dig up more coal, bids to stay open for decades longer, and to drill major new gas wells. “

Projects to be reassessed:

Queensland – Australia Pacific LNG’s Gas Supply Security Project (Surat and 
Bowen basins); Lake Vermont Meadowbrook coal mine, Saraji East mining lease project, Caval Ridge Horse Pit extension; Moorlands open cut mine; Ensham life of mine extension; China Stone coal mine; Baralaba South coal project and transport corridor; The Range; Meandu mine King 2 East project; Valeria project; Alpha North coal mine; Winchester South.

NSW – Boggabri coal mine; Mount Pleasant optimisation project; Spur Hill underground coking coal; Narrabri underground mine extension. 

Western Australia – Woodside Energy North West Shelf project extension.