Stop Glencore Bulldozing Koala Habitat
Environment Minister Murray Watt is days away from deciding whether mining giant Glencore can bulldoze 600 hectares of critical koala habitat to expand one of Australia's dirtiest coal mines – the Hail Creek coal mine in Central Queensland.
The proposed expansion would push the mine right up against Homevale National Park, destroying habitat that scientists have identified as home to one of Australia's most important koala populations. It would also pollute waterways flowing to the Great Barrier Reef and supercharge our climate pollution – all for more coal.
Public submissions close 13 February. GetUp has prepared a strong expert submission calling on Minister Watt to reject the expansion outright – but its impact depends on how many of us stand behind it.
Add your name to endorse GetUp's submission and send a clear message: Australians are watching, and this project must be stopped.
The proposed expansion would push the mine right up against Homevale National Park, destroying habitat that scientists have identified as home to one of Australia's most important koala populations. It would also pollute waterways flowing to the Great Barrier Reef and supercharge our climate pollution – all for more coal.
Public submissions close 13 February. GetUp has prepared a strong expert submission calling on Minister Watt to reject the expansion outright – but its impact depends on how many of us stand behind it.
Add your name to endorse GetUp's submission and send a clear message: Australians are watching, and this project must be stopped.
You can read the full submission here: https://www.getup.org.au/hail-creek
Our submission urges Environment Minister Murray Watt to reject Glencore's plan to extend the Hail Creek Coal Mine in Queensland, on the grounds that its impacts are "clearly unacceptable."
The submission makes the case on three grounds:
Koala habitat destruction – The extension would bulldoze around 600 hectares of critical habitat for a nationally significant koala population in the Clarke Connors Range. Drone surveys found koalas actively living in the area slated for clearing. Several other threatened species would also be affected, including the Greater Glider and Squatter Pigeon. A wind farm in Queensland was previously rejected for similar koala impacts — a coal mine should be held to the same standard or higher.
Methane and climate impact – Hail Creek has been identified as a methane "super emitter," responsible for roughly 20% of Australia's coal mining methane while producing just 1% of its coal. Independent research suggests Glencore is dramatically underreporting emissions — potentially by a factor of three to eight. The mine's total climate impact could be around 40 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year.
Water and the Great Barrier Reef – In January 2025, the mine released nearly 6 billion litres of contaminated water into the Reef catchment. The extension would divert a creek, create permanent groundwater voids, and bring mining closer to the culturally significant Brumby Waterholes. Glencore has resisted adequate monitoring despite known contamination issues.
If the expansion isn't rejected outright by the minister, we argue it must at minimum be declared a "controlled action" and assessed under the strictest provisions of the EPBC Act – covering threatened species, water resources, World Heritage properties, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
You can read the full submission here: https://www.getup.org.au/hail-creek
Our submission urges Environment Minister Murray Watt to reject Glencore's plan to extend the Hail Creek Coal Mine in Queensland, on the grounds that its impacts are "clearly unacceptable."
The submission makes the case on three grounds:
Koala habitat destruction – The extension would bulldoze around 600 hectares of critical habitat for a nationally significant koala population in the Clarke Connors Range. Drone surveys found koalas actively living in the area slated for clearing. Several other threatened species would also be affected, including the Greater Glider and Squatter Pigeon. A wind farm in Queensland was previously rejected for similar koala impacts — a coal mine should be held to the same standard or higher.
Methane and climate impact – Hail Creek has been identified as a methane "super emitter," responsible for roughly 20% of Australia's coal mining methane while producing just 1% of its coal. Independent research suggests Glencore is dramatically underreporting emissions — potentially by a factor of three to eight. The mine's total climate impact could be around 40 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year.
Water and the Great Barrier Reef – In January 2025, the mine released nearly 6 billion litres of contaminated water into the Reef catchment. The extension would divert a creek, create permanent groundwater voids, and bring mining closer to the culturally significant Brumby Waterholes. Glencore has resisted adequate monitoring despite known contamination issues.
If the expansion isn't rejected outright by the minister, we argue it must at minimum be declared a "controlled action" and assessed under the strictest provisions of the EPBC Act – covering threatened species, water resources, World Heritage properties, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
You can read the full submission here: https://www.getup.org.au/hail-creek
Mining companies like Glencore wield enormous political power. One of the few things that can challenge that power is independent movements like GetUp, backed by tens of thousands of people speaking together.
Public submissions close on February 13. GetUp's expert submission is far more powerful if we can say that thousands of members stand behind it.
The coal industry knows our power – it's why Adani is currently suing GetUp for speaking out against their coal empire. But we keep stepping up anyway, because silence is exactly what these companies rely on.
Adding your name takes less than a minute – and it helps protect koalas, the Reef and our climate from another destructive coal expansion.
Public submissions close on February 13. GetUp's expert submission is far more powerful if we can say that thousands of members stand behind it.
The coal industry knows our power – it's why Adani is currently suing GetUp for speaking out against their coal empire. But we keep stepping up anyway, because silence is exactly what these companies rely on.
Adding your name takes less than a minute – and it helps protect koalas, the Reef and our climate from another destructive coal expansion.
SIGN NOW
I call on Minister Murray Watt to reject Glencore’s Hail Creek coal mine expansion, due to the clearly unacceptable impacts it would cause to our koalas, the Reef and our climate.
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