The Queensland Conservation Council has obtained satellite images, cross-referenced with drone footage, indicating coal corporation Magnetic South has commenced building their proposed Gemini coal mine against the advice of the Federal Government and without referring the project for assessment under national environmental laws (EPBC Act). Since May 25th at least 200 hectares of remnant forest has been recklessly cleared in an area earmarked for an open cut coal pit.

Originally published in Gladstone Today, 17 July 2025, on behalf of Queensland Conservation Council and the Australian Conservation Foundation

On Tuesday this week, news broke that the State Government has rejected Fox Resources' bid for a coal mine in the Bundaberg Region. This mining project was met with strong community opposition due to its disruption of agricultural land. Anyone who's enjoyed a Bundaberg strawberry knows those farms are something special!

The decision was in the hands of Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, who said it was not in the public interest for this project to proceed. "Many significant community concerns were raised about the potential impacts of a future coal mine on the region's agricultural industry, water resources, environmental values, livability and tourism industry," a statement said.

Queensland is no longer the most attractive jurisdiction for clean energy investment, according to a new industry survey by the Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG), which shows NSW now comes out on top. Investors point to planning and policy uncertainty, and government intervention as key challenges undermining confidence in Queensland.

According to the Queensland Conservation Council, these results show that the State Government’s mixed signals on energy are scaring away potential clean energy investment in regional Queensland.

The results of the survey come as the Crisafulli Government confirms they cut $105 million previously earmarked for the development of the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre: a planned Queensland hub to accelerate and scale domestic battery manufacturing, which also has federal funding.

This week, a familiar scare campaign was reignited. Coal barons are once again blaming Queensland’s royalty system for the industry's problems. In truth, the coal industry is being undone by its own product.

A prime example of this is the Burton coal mine complex. Mothballed in 2017 by Peabody due to high costs, it was opportunistically reopened by Bowen Coking Coal in 2023 when global coal prices surged. Now, as countries shift to clean energy and markets respond to the climate reality, prices have fallen again and the Burton project is faltering. Ironically, costs at Burton were exacerbated by climate-fuelled flooding halting production and damaging the site.

The coal company’s solution? Blame royalties and avoid accountability.

Here’s the thing, this isn’t about royalties. It’s about trying to squeeze every last drop of short-term profits from an unstable, declining industry.

Still, the Queensland Premier David Crisafulli is reinforcing this shaky narrative, calling Queensland coal “environmentally sustainable” and pledging to extract “every last gram.” It’s language so out of step with economic and environmental reality, it could have been scripted by the coal lobby itself.

Coal Watch is a new initiative launched by Lock the Gate and the Queensland Conservation Council to understand the impacts on nature, climate and farmland of the huge pipeline of new and expanded coal projects in Queensland.

The initiative was launched at an event in Brisbane last night, where concerned Queenslanders gathered to learn more about the scale of coal expansion across the State.

Coal Watch is available on both LTG’s website and QCC’s website.

Key findings

• There are 28 coal mine expansions proposed in Queensland which would:
  • Add over 14 billion tonnes of carbon pollution to our atmosphere - more than 30 times Australia’s domestic annual emissions
  • Clear at least 10,600 hectares of crucial koala habitat
  • Use over 3.7 trillion litres of water - more than 20 years worth of all of Brisbane households’ annual water use.
• The projects benefit a handful of big mining corporations, with BHP the biggest of them all, proposing to dig over 1.5 billion more tonnes of coal which would create over 4 billion tonnes of climate pollution.

The Queensland Government's shift away from renewable energy is already playing out to put jobs at risk in a major blow to the future of Gladstone’s economy, according to the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC).

After the State Government withdrew support for the CQ-H2 hydrogen project in February, it has officially collapsed with Japanese consortium partners pulling out and closing Queensland offices. This leaves the Queensland Government with no energy plan to drive new energy investment to secure the region’s future.

The Queensland Conservation Council has expressed disappointment that the Queensland Government has ignored hundreds of submissions from the community and key stakeholders to pass a controversial planning legislation.

Under the new laws, Olympic venues have a free pass to override environment and planning laws, while renewable energy projects will be subject to unprecedented new hurdles before they can lodge an application for development approval.

The vast majority of the 706 public submissions made to the Parliament about the Planning (Social Impact and Community Benefit) Bill raised significant concerns or called for the Bill to be scrapped entirely.

In a final rushed amendment, the Crisafulli Government also pushed through changes reducing the statutory community consultation time required for regional plans from 60 days to 30 days.

Today’s budget shows Queensland is staying the course on the state’s energy transition with a significant $2.9 billion investment in the energy transformation, but failing our iconic endangered wildlife.

Peak conservation group Queensland Conservation Council has welcomed the Crisafulli Government’s investments in renewable energy and storage, but says the nature commitments fall far short of what’s needed to save species like koalas, quolls and greater gliders.

The good

• $2.9 billion to progress Queensland’s energy transition;
• $26 million for the Supercharged Solar for Renters scheme;
• The funding to deliver the election commitment of 150 new rangers for national parks;
• $117.8 million over 4 years to increase funding for Natural Resource Management groups.

The bad

• About 30 per cent less capital investment in renewable energy, storage and transmission infrastructure compared to last year;
• Almost $800 million allocated this year on new fossil fuel projects or maintenance for ageing coal and gas plants;
• No new funding for protected areas expansion;
• No new funding to seize the state's opportunity to support the development of Natural Capital programs that support regional communities
• No new funding to protect the state's endangered Koala populations

Read the full report (PDF 6.6mb)

There's enough renewable energy projects in Queensland’s pipeline for the State to reach its 80 per cent renewable energy target twice over, according to a new report, but only 6 per cent of the pipeline is in the advanced stages of deployment.

The State of the Transition report also found that there is more than enough rooftop solar potential across residential, commercial and industrial rooftops alone to reach Queensland’s 2030 renewable energy target.

On the eve of the State Budget, the Queensland Conservation Council is calling for the Crisafulli Government to send a clear signal to investors and unlock Queensland’s huge renewable potential.

The report, commissioned by conservation councils across the country, highlighted key steps that governments can take to deliver the energy transformation faster and better. The groups, including the Queensland Conservation Council, are calling for accelerated renewable energy and storage investment, and regional plans to guide development.

Brisbane’s iconic bridges will light up in Queensland’s climate stripe colours for the global #ShowYourStripes Day this Sunday, to underscore the urgent need for collective action to protect our environment and our way of life.

Only six months into this year, Queensland has experienced catastrophic flooding events that devastated communities across the state, our biodiversity and climate crisis pushed more animals and plants onto the endangered list including the now vulnerable Irwin turtle, and an ex-Tropical Cyclone shattered the South East.

At the same time, the State Government has greenlit new fossil fuel projects, revoked approval for renewable projects, slowed work on Renewable Energy Zones and considered keeping our ageing and unreliable coal power stations operating past the end of their technical lives.

Queensland Conservation Council will join concerned community members this Sunday for Show Your Stripes day to demand climate action from Premier David Crisafulli. Climate change is already hurting Queensland communities pockets through higher costs such as groceries and insurance, and this is the critical decade to take action and prevent the worst impacts of global heating.

Story Bridge colours will show the increase in Queensland's temperatures under climate change from 1858 to now.
Image: #ShowYourStripes action in Brisbane, 2024