Wilpinjong Mine - Question Without Notice
My question is directed to the Minister for Natural Resources. In December Wilpinjong Mine, owned by Peabody, applied for a new, 412-hectare area of coal release near Wollar. The area is not attached to an operating mine. The Net Zero Commission has called on the Government to "prioritise its consideration of policies that systematically prepare for the decline of coal extraction and provide for a just and orderly transition for coal-producing communities and impacted regional economies". If the Government supports a just and orderly transition, is stopping coal companies from applying for new exploration areas not one of the first steps to take?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS (Minister for Finance, Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement, and Minister for Natural Resources) (14:53): I thank the member for her question regarding Wilpinjong Mine and the application by Peabody. That application will be assessed in accordance with our robust assessment process. That includes the appropriate environmental considerations. My understanding is that it is adjacent to the coalmine, but I will take that part on notice and come back to the member. Regarding planning for a future beyond coal, I point the member to the Future Jobs and Investment Bill 2025, which will be debated in the other place hopefully later today or sometime this week to establish the Future Jobs and Investment Authorities. That bill was introduced by the Government last year. It was an election commitment we made and it was funded in last year's budget. It is important legislation that we seek to put in place. It is important that we look at where global trends are headed and the existing planned expiry dates for existing coalmines.
We know we have to plan for the future. The reality is that at the moment about 25,000 direct jobs are in coalmines. We need to plan for that future in partnership with local communities. The bill will allow us to do that. I encourage all members to support that bill when it comes to this place after it hopefully passes through the other place. There has been a constructive process in engaging with the concerns of the crossbench and the Hunter community. I met with members from that community yesterday regarding the bill. It is an important development as we consider and plan for the future. It will be a new capacity for government, but it is an important one that will allow us to work in partnership with local communities.
Ms CATE FAEHRMANN (14:55): Wilpinjong Mine was initially approved in 2006 until 2026. It was supposed to be operating until this year. Frankly, a lot of people who were notified of the expansion in January were gobsmacked that we could see an application for a new coal release area. In a letter from Peabody there is a map that shows where it is going to go. It is worth informing members that it falls outside the map that John Barilaro put in his statement of coal. This Labor Government seems to be prepared to go further than even the National Party when it comes to new coal release areas. That is shameful. [Time expired.]
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS (Minister for Finance, Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement, and Minister for Natural Resources) (14:56): Updating the coal statement is work that is ongoing. That is really important. Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with consul generals from our key trading partners, as I do regularly. Yesterday I again met with the Consul-General of Japan. It was a great opportunity to hear directly from him about how important our high-quality thermal coal is for their energy security. We are fortunate that in New South Wales we have access to a range of energy sources. The Minister for Energy updated us earlier about the work we are doing. The reality is that other countries rely on that high-quality thermal coal. That was the message that I took away from the meeting with the Consul‑General of Japan—the need to be a stable investment environment and maintain that long-running partnership. [Time expired.]