The Albanese Government should immediately force coal company Vitrinite to cease work at its Vulcan South project while an investigation is underway into whether koala habitat was cleared illegally.
A coalition of community and environment groups recently wrote to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek calling on her to force Vitrinite to stop work at the site. The letter was sent last month, however they have not received a response. A copy of the letter is available here.
Vitrinite has continued to mine coal at the Central QLD site, even though a federal investigation is underway into whether the company illegally cleared 47 hectares of koala habitat. Drone footage of the site showing mining activity is available here.
Vitrinite also cleared koala and greater glider habitat to construct a haul road in an area the company previously committed to protecting.
Despite the ongoing federal investigation, Vitrinite’s application to build Vulcan South has also progressed through the Commonwealth assessment process and its status was recently updated on the EPBC assessment website to “Awaiting additional information."
Lock the Gate Alliance Central Queensland Coordinator Claire Gronow said,“It makes a mockery of Australia’s environment laws that the Albanese Government has not already ordered Vitrinite to stop work and has instead allowed its Vulcan South application to progress through assessments.
“Vitrinite’s continued mining at the Vulcan South site exposes how weak Australia’s environmental laws really are.
“Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek should take swift action to reject the Vulcan South project and put an immediate stop Vitrinite clearing more endangered species’ habitat.
“The fact that she hasn’t yet taken this action shows that Tanya Plibersek has once again put the coal industry ahead of koalas and the wellbeing of Australians.”
ENDS
For photos of koala and greater glider recorded on the site, See document page 34 (pdf reader page 44) of Vitrinite's terrestrial ecology report.
Vitrinite has a history of non-compliance at its Vulcan mine site in Central Queensland:
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Earlier this year, the Queensland Environment Department issued a directions notice against Queensland Coking Coal, which is owned by Vitrinite, for illegally clearing habitat outside the boundaries of a state-approved test coal pit for the Vulcan South mine. The department ordered vitrinite to rehabilitate the cleared area.
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The QLD Environment Department previously issued a separate environmental protection order to Vitrinite in response to activity including poor water and waste management at the Vulcan complex extending over roughly 12 months.
Background:
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In total, Vitrinite wants to clear 1167 ha of koala habitat and 1057 ha of greater glider habitat for its Vulcan South coal mine.
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Vulcan South is part of a larger mining project. Vitrinite split the larger “Vulcan Complex” into smaller projects. QLD law does not require a company to submit an environmental impact statement for mines that produce less than two million tonnes of coal per annum.
- Vulcan South would produce 1.95 million tonnes of coal each year over a nine year period. The adjacent Vulcan mine, approved in 2022, will also produce 1.95 MTPA of coal.