Hunter Valley

A planning decision on a coal project in the Hunter Valley near Singleton, New South Wales, has drawn attention after conditions were reportedly proposed that would limit exports to jurisdictions with greenhouse gas emissions policies consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Critics are calling the restriction ineffective, arguing it allows coal exports to continue while nominally addressing climate concerns.

Environmental groups are reacting angrily after New South Wales approved the largest coalmine in the state's history, in the Hunter Valley. Campaigners, including Lock the Gate, say the decision ignores the climate crisis and shows Australia's environmental governance systems are failing the public, with critics calling it a betrayal of community and climate commitments.

The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has approved the largest coalmine project ever to come before it, allowing mining at a Hunter Valley operation to continue until 2045. Critics have described the decision as an 'infamous betrayal', arguing it locks in coal production for two more decades despite climate concerns and opposition from environmental groups and local communities.