In response to the Albanese Labor government’s decision to extend the Gregory Crinum coal mine to 2073, the following comments can be attributed to Greenpeace Australia Pacific Head of Advocacy Dr Susie Byers:
I was born in 1982. This coal mine will outlive me and many other people in Australia, and risks trashing Labor’s credibility on climate.
This decision is a criminally reckless abdication of responsibility to current and future communities, and marks the third occasion Labor has approved a coal project or extension since being elected.
The Environment Minister’s reform process of the EPBC Act is long overdue and much-needed, but the Minister has categorically ruled out including climate considerations in environmental approvals, saying that climate decisions can be dealt with under climate legislation.
This decision shows that there is no process to deal properly with climate decisions. Instead, we have an Environment Department dealing with applications for climate bombs with no reference to climate impacts.
The system is broken and needs urgent fixing – our climate and Labor’s reputation both depend on it.
