Topics: High Court’s decision overturning approval of MACH Energy Mount Pleasant coal mine
E&OE
ALEX THOMAS: Okay, let’s get more on our top story this morning. The High Court ruling finding in favour of local opposition to the expansion of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in the New South Wales Hunter Valley region. Judges finding the issue of carbon emissions overseas need to be taken into account. Let’s speak to Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable. She joins us live now, many thanks for your time on News24 today. How surprised were you by the High Court verdict?
TANIA CONSTABLE: Good morning, Alex. We were very surprised, very concerned. Enough is enough. This is really sending a shiver down the spine of all mining companies and projects not only in New South Wales, but across Australia. I was just talking to some board members yesterday afternoon and the first thing that came up was this High Court decision. So, it’s a big one. We’re very concerned and investment in Australia could be affected by this High Court decision.
ALEX THOMAS: Yeah, what would the economic impact be?
TANIA CONSTABLE: Well, it’s huge. We are the biggest taxpayer in Australia. We are the biggest exporter in the country. Mining accounts for over 60 per cent of total exports in Australia. So, it’s a huge, huge revenue earner for Australia. Jobs, investment at a local level, regionally and within capital cities would be all impacted. So, this particular decision should not be taken lightly by governments. Certainly, it’s not being taken lightly by the mining industry. But every industry should be looking carefully at this decision because we are not just accounting now as a country for emissions in this country, we need to be taking account for what our customers are doing. That’s double counting. It’s inappropriate. Enough is enough.
ALEX THOMAS: Yeah, and you’re not the only one to share the economic concerns but clearly local residents are worried about the environmental impact and at a time when Australia’s Prime Minister is overseas talking about the threat of climate change, is that not a moral duty to consider overseas emissions when it comes to mining Australia’s natural resources?
TANIA CONSTABLE: Every country should be doing its bit in the world, and Australia is punching above its weight. The mining industry and facilities associated with the mining industry, and that’s about 50 per cent of the total Safeguard Mechanism, take account of emissions within Australia. Anything over 100,000 tonnes. So, the mining industry has gradually been reducing its emissions overall and in the last two years around about 12 per cent reduction, we’ve seen a 12 per cent reduction in emissions within the Safeguard Mechanism. It’s doing its job. The mining industry is doing its job. Investment is occurring because we have robust processes in Australia, but we shouldn’t be taking account of what happens elsewhere. That’s our customers’ responsibility, otherwise, we get double counting. Everyone needs to do its bit.
ALEX THOMAS: The federal opposition has called for a change in the law. This particular ruling was based on New South Wales state law. Would you like to see a change in the law either in that specific state or indeed nationally?
TANIA CONSTABLE: Scope 3 emissions should be taken out, be explicitly taken out of New South Wales law, not accounted for in state law and explicitly removed and not taken into account at any government level across Australia. So, this is a really bad precedent for investment. It’s a bad, bad decision because it will impact jobs at the Mount Pleasant site immediately, and we’re concerned that other projects in New South Wales and across Australia will be impacted. But not just for the mining industry, but any industries that, you know, have customers overseas. That’s really important that it’s not just the mining industry. It could be construction, it could be defence, it could be agriculture, it could be the data centres that everybody is talking about at the moment.
ALEX THOMAS: Okay, it’s worth pointing out the New South Wales State Government disagreed there’d be an impact on jobs, having spoken to the company involved, but we appreciate your viewpoint as well. That’s Tania Constable from the Minerals Council of Australia.
