Environment Minister Murray Watt has given federal approval to an open-cut, thermal coal mine extension in Queensland, Stanwell’s Meandu King 2 East mine. 

The project would funnel thermal coal to the Tarong Power Station until 2039, adding over 200 million tonnes of climate pollution to our atmosphere. It also threatens sites of cultural significance to the Boujiebara people.

Queensland Conservation Council analysis has found that 2025 saw the lowest fossil fuel electricity generation in more than two decades in Queensland (PDF 259k), with increased renewable energy delivering electricity price relief and emissions savings.

In 2025, nearly 4.5 GW of renewable energy and storage was connected to Queensland’s electricity grid, causing renewable energy generation to jump 10% to make up more than 33% of Queensland’s electricity supply.

This pushed coal and gas generation to their lowest levels since 2001, driving emissions below levels at the turn of the century, despite increased demand, and delivering the lowest prices since 2020.

While renewable energy growth will continue in 2026, the Queensland LNP’s moves to repeal renewable energy targets and make it harder for renewable energy projects to proceed, while encouraging more gas development, means that the price and pollution relief could be short lived.

A new analysis by the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) today confirms that investment in renewable energy backed by storage has ground to a halt in Queensland under the Crisafulli Government. 

The analysis of Clean Energy Council data demonstrates that in the Crisafulli Government’s first year in office large-scale renewable energy and storage investment has dropped by more than 74 per cent compared to the previous year under Labor. 

While 15 solar, wind and storage projects reached financial close or started construction in the last year under the Queensland Labor Government, only four projects have done the same in the LNP’s first year. During the first year of the LNP, only 880 MW has been commissioned or started construction, which is a quarter of the 3,389 MW the previous year.

QCC argues this is clear evidence that the Queensland LNP’s moves to keep coal operating for decades, repeal the State’s renewable energy targets, and axe progressed wind farms is driving away new investment in energy and storage. 

The Albanese Government's proposal to bulk purchase gas under the East Coast gas market review would reward the gas cartel's bad behaviour by propping up their coffers with taxpayer funds and incentivise opening new gas fields at the expense of water, climate and communities, Australia's leading State the Territory Conservation Councils said today in a joint statement.

The federal government is considering a plan to bulk buy gas from producers, and then re-sell that gas to end users at a lower price. This would not only amount to a massive new fossil fuel subsidy, but would also incentivise the opening up of new gas developments like fracking in the Northern Territory and coal seam gas in NSW and Queensland.

A collection of social service, faith and environmental groups have welcomed the launch of the Queensland Government's Supercharged Solar for Renters scheme.

The Power Together coalition, including the Queensland Conservation Council, Parents for Climate and Energetic Communities, have long called on the Queensland Government to help all Queenslanders, particularly renters and social housing tenants, access affordable solar energy to reduce their power bills and emissions.

This comes as recently released research from Monash University found that solar systems increase Brisbane property values by an average of $30,000.

According to the groups, the Crisafulli Government now needs to expand support to assist vulnerable Queenslanders access other clean technology, like energy efficient upgrades and appliances, as an equitable measure to deal with the linked cost of living and climate crises.

The Queensland Conservation Council has condemned the Crisafulli Government for repealing the State’s renewable energy targets, declaring that this is another ideological attack on clean energy that will scare away regional investment and drive up power bills.

The move by the Crisafulli Government goes against advice of recent reports by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), which have highlighted that power prices will rise significantly without the timely build out of renewable energy, storage and transmission needed to replace ageing coal power stations.

This comes shortly after a new Reliability Watch report identified that Queensland’s coal fleet, despite being the youngest, is the least reliable in the National Electricity Market. Over the winter period, an average of 26% of Queensland’s coal-fired power station capacity was offline, compared to 22% in NSW and 16% in Victoria.

The Queensland Conservation Council has condemned the Crisafulli Government’s plan to rely on ageing coal-fired power stations for decades, after it was revealed today the State’s coal stations suffered 131 outages in just the last year.

A new Reliability Watch report has identified that over the 2025 winter period, the coal-fired power stations in Australia’s main grid had a staggering 142 outages, including 23 scheduled and 119 unplanned breakdowns. This builds on previous report findings over summer, which found Australia’s ageing coal power stations broke down 128 times. 

Queensland’s coal fleet, despite being the youngest, is the least reliable in the National Electricity Market. From April - September 2025, an average of 26% of Queensland’s coal-fired power station capacity was offline, compared to 22% in NSW and 16% in Victoria. The worst performing coal units during this period are all in Queensland: with Gladstone 1, Tarong North, Millmerran 2 and Callide C3 all being available less than 50% of the time.

Queensland’s peak conservation body says the Crisafulli Government’s half-baked energy plan does not deal with the reality that our ageing coal power stations are increasingly unreliable and need to be replaced. This report comes as the Queensland Government is expected to repeal Queensland’s Renewable Energy Targets this week.

Read the report, Queensland Museum Learning Resources: Climate Accuracy and Sponsorship Concerns (PDF 868k)

Shell-branded school materials are shaping how Queensland children as young as 10 are learning about climate change, according to a new report from Comms Declare.

The investigation shows that Queensland Museum has accepted more than $10.25 million from Shell's QGC gas business since 2015, giving the company potential influence over curriculum-aligned programs and widespread exposure in education materials used by school children.

Despite the Museum's repeated claims of its "full independence", the report finds systematic omissions and distortions in Shell-branded educational resources delivered under the Museum's authority. The materials:

• Leave out fossil fuels as the primary cause of global warming and ocean acidification
• Promote Shell QGC as a "future-facing" company through prominent branding
• Present fossil fuel careers as part of the climate solution, and
• Shift responsibility for pollution from industry to individuals.

The Queensland Conservation Council warmly welcomes a new deal struck by the Australian Government and Greens to improve the national nature law reforms before Parliament.

While significant details are yet to be finalised, including setting the national environmental standards, this deal is a leap in the right direction, according to Queensland’s peak environmental body.

The Government has committed to closing the loopholes that have permitted broadscale land clearing and native forest logging in threatened species habitat, and to ensuring fossil fuel projects cannot receive fast-tracked environmental assessments.

The Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) says the Crisafulli Government's latest coal deal shows it is more focused on keeping the coal industry on side than investing in regional futures.

The deal is an attempt to keep the coal industry happy after months of relentless campaigning to reduce coal royalties. It involves Argo Queensland's acquisition of a controlling stake in Fitzroy Australia Resources, a move that locks the state into long-term coal production at Carborough Downs, Broadlea and Ironbark mines.

The conservation council warns that extending the life of a dwindling industry ignores the far larger clean energy job opportunities and Reef-dependent jobs at stake.