The Lock the Gate Alliance welcome the overnight announcement by the Queensland ALP to protect nature refuges from mining, including the Bimblebox refuge near Alpha.
Alliance president, Drew Hutton, said this was a major concession by Labor and he called on the Liberal National Party to match the promise.
"The LNP responded to a questionnaire from Lock the Gate saying it would protect areas of high conservation value from coal mining but it did not specify nature refuges," Mr Hutton said.
"In fact, it will leave the identification of these areas of high conservation value to a strategic land use planning process which might, or might not, be a fair one.
"A principled statement now about protecting nature refuges, including Bimblebox, would be much clearer and more acceptable to us."
Mining magnate, Clive Palmer, intends to put a massive coal mine right over the top of Bimblebox. Mr Palmer is a major donor to the LNP.
"This announcement comes in the wake of a long campaign to protect Bimblebox and other nature refuges from mining by the owner, Paola Cassoni, conservation groups and the Lock the Gate Alliance and we commend the ALP for this decision," Mr Hutton said.