Maules Creek Continuation Project

I strongly object to this project on numerous grounds! Once again our beautiful country is being threatened for greed!
Please see the attached for a very personal rebuke to the Whitehaven corporation to decimate the remainder of the Leard State Forest.
The following sets out other reasons why this extension should never be approved.
Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034
• The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
• This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swift Parrots and Leard State Forest
• This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
• The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender
• Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk
• This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
• The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
• It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change
• NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
• The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

For the sake of our children's children's children, do not approve the extension of Whitehavens licence to extinguish the remainder of the Leard State Forest....a gem which once belonged to the people of NSW!!

I strongly object to this proposal

- NSW Government is failing the precautionary principle ie it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions without proper assessment of impacts

- Significant impact on Swift Parrot habitat and Leard State Forest. Over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot will be removed- offsets are not a viable option.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the anking an approval that won’t start until 2034

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swifties and Leard State Forest

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.

- Clearing 428 hectares of the Leard State Forest is unacceptable, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines.
- not in the public interest.
-Whitehaven Coal has a poor compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences.

- Risk to water resources – it will impact water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.

-The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Creek

We need this mine extended until 2044 there are very few jobs out west . Whitehaven employers people from Baradine, Coonabarabran,wee waa, small towns that benefit when we spend money at home

The reasons I am objecting to the Maules Creek are put in the attached document. Along with those listed below -

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034 ... !?
The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.

Swift Parrots and Leard State Forest
This project will clear a further 500+ hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swift Parrots and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the Leard State Forest, a significant native vegetation vestige, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands and the habitat they preserve, should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.

Whitehaven is a serial offender
Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
They are not a corporation that has integrity and have proved they cannot be trusted!

Water and communities at risk
This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock - absolutely essential day-to-day and with predicted climate extremes - droughts included! It is impossible to forget the extremes of the 2017-2019 drought locally! Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought. Whitehaven are not community friendly - they do not consider the local community.

The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Creek and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land and create dust pollution impacts on agricultural enterprises and human health along with escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.

Turbocharging climate change
NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming, but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

The future belongs to our children, their children and theirs - considering the above and my reflection [attached] on the Maules Creek Continuation Project, I ask you to reject this application.

I object to the project because of the critical habitat that will have to be cleared in what is left of the Leard State Forest.

As a senior energy policy analyst at the Centre for Independent Studies, I am strongly supportive of this project. Our analysis is focused on the strength, stability, and affordability of the energy market in Australia. We have deep expertise in energy generation and grids.
We understand that coal has underpinned the prosperity of this nation for many decades, and will continue be crucial to our economy for many more. The Maules creek mine already provides 865 local jobs, significant tax and royalty revenue, supports local industry and expertise, and returns to Australian shareholders – all of which benefit the wealth and wellbeing of the region and of Australian people. The continuation and addition of 75 more jobs, with a 1 Mtpa additional output, will increase these benefits.
We also understand that globally, coal remains key to reliable, affordable power for developing nations, which is crucial for human flourishing and economic progress. Global energy demand is increasing, and dense, affordable sources of energy are the key to lifting millions out of poverty. Maules Creek produces some of the highest quality, cleanest, high energy thermal coal in Australia, and has a role to play in this global need.
Whitehaven has a proven track record of environmental responsibility, and the EIS for this project demonstrates comprehensively that the benefits outweigh the costs and risks.

Jude Blik
Senior Policy Analyst - Energy
The Centre for Independent Studies

Communities across New South Wales are already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change, with increasing weather extremes and unpredictable rainfall, in particular. The NSW Government has shown an admirable commitment to progressing our society and economy towards net zero emissions, which is essential if we are to avoid worsening impacts of climate change. This is completely at odds with the expansion of coal mines such as the Maules Creek Coal Mine, however. This coal needs to stay in the ground, not be dug up, burnt and released into the atmosphere, if we are to have any hope of avoiding some of the worst climate change scenarios. To lock in approval of this extension commits us to decades more coal-related emissions that we can't afford. Moreover, the Maules Creek Coal Mine is located within one of the last remnants of good condition Box Gum Grassy Woodland. It is unacceptable to lose any more of this threatened ecological community, and the habitat it represents for threatened species such as Swift Parrots. The revegetation of offset properties is in no way sufficient to compensate for this loss, especially considering restoration success is often severely impacted by climatic conditions.

Living in Gunnedah for the past two years, I've seen the benefit Maules Creek mine has brought to the mine. Some of the notable and direct impact the mine had includes:
1. Direct or indirect employment of locals around the Tamworth, Gunnedah, Boggabri and Narrabri areas.
2. Maules creek also employs expatriate skilled workers that contributed immensely to government tax - also contributes to the local economy by residing in Gunnedah and Narrabri and work in the mine.
3. The mine also supports local businesses and sporting teams

With these positive impacts and contributions, I strongly believe and support the continuation of the mine so that we all can benefit from it.

Fiona Lee
Elands, NSW 2429

28 July 2025


To whom it may concern,

RE: Submission on Maules Creek Continuation Project EIS

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on the Maules Creek Continuation Project EIS.

I write this submission as someone whose life has been irreversibly changed by climate change and who strongly opposes any further expansions or extensions of coal mines in NSW including at Maules Creek.

My family’s home burned to the ground in the Black Summer bushfires. It’s taken a long time to get back on our feet, having shouldered the financial burden of rebuilding our lives from nothing. And emotionally, the toll has been devastating.

All the while, massive coal companies like Whitehaven continue to post record profits. They are fuelling the climate crisis that is costing us everything, yet paying none of the price. It is ordinary families like mine who are left to carry the emotional, physical and financial burden of the impacts of climate change they are responsible for creating.

This must change. There can be no further expansions or extensions of coal mines in NSW, including at Maules Creek. Communities, including mine on the MidCoast of NSW, are already experiencing compounding and escalating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution making the problem worse.

The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will also completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034. It is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we clearly can’t afford.

Companies like Whitehaven know that climate laws are strengthening further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
That is why they are attempting to ‘bank’ this approval now.

The continued approval of coal mine expansions like Maules Creek, is fundamentally incompatible with meeting our targets, keeping our communities safe from escalating unnatural disasters and a net zero future.

And to make the problem worse, we also know there are big issues with potent methane leaking from coal mines. There have been a number of reports recently, including the Common Capital report which found these emissions are likely underestimated by at least half and are predicted to increase by 75% by 2035 in NSW. This is the opposite trajectory of what is required; the International Energy Agency says they must fall by 75% by 2030 to avoid climate catastrophe.

Finally, there are a number of other issues that alone should prevent this project from proceeding including the proposal to clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild. The Maules Creek Continuation Project will push the species closer to extinction.

We also know that this expansion poses a major risk to local water resources. It will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock.

None of this is fair or just. The Maules Creek Continuation Project needs to be rejected.

Sincerely,
Fiona Lee

This development will continue to provide essential jobs to local people.

Submission in Support of the Maules Creek Mine Continuation Project

I strongly support the application to continue operations at the Maules Creek Mine through to 2044. This proposal delivers a balanced and responsible approach to sustaining regional employment, bolstering economic resilience, and upholding environmental stewardship in North West NSW.

The planned modest increase in coal production—without any change to rail transport volumes—ensures a manageable operational footprint while maximizing the value of existing infrastructure. By increasing the workforce from 865 to an average of 940 employees, the project will directly support livelihoods and generate local economic activity across the region.

Importantly, Whitehaven Coal has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental responsibility. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project outlines a comprehensive suite of measures to protect and enhance the local environment, ensuring that operations continue to meet stringent regulatory and community expectations.

In addition, Whitehaven has a long-standing track record of meaningful community investment. Through millions of dollars in local sponsorships and donations, the company has supported initiatives across education, health, environment, economic development, and special interest groups—strengthening community fabric and opportunity in the region.

Finally, the mine’s continued operation will deliver substantial fiscal benefits. In FY24 alone, Whitehaven contributed over $1.5 billion in taxes and royalties to New South Wales and the Commonwealth. These revenues are critical for funding public services and infrastructure that benefit all Australians.

For these reasons, I support the continuation of operations at Maules Creek and commend the project for its considered and community-focused approach.

Please see attached letter we strongly support the Maules Creek Continuation Project.

I fully support the Maules Creek Continuation project as it would continue to provide employment for hundreds of people and has a proven track record for supporting local businesses.

Morgan Engineering, along with many other local businesses, will benefit greatly from the continuation of operations at Maules Creek.

We currently employ over 130 people across the Hunter and Gunnedah regions. Many of these employees have joined us since we established our Gunnedah branch, where opportunities such as those provided by Maules Creek have been a key driver of growth and employment.

Since expanding into the Gunnedah area, we have been able to invest locally by renting two duplexes, two houses, as well as an industrial office and shed. This growth has contributed directly to the local economy. In addition, we proudly support local initiatives such as primary schools and the Gunnedah Times and are now expanding our support to include local sporting clubs and charities. None of this would have been possible without the opportunities created by Maules Creek and their ongoing commitment to the region.

We are passionate about continuing to grow our company and creating a positive flow-on effect that benefits Gunnedah and surrounding areas.

Both personally and on behalf of Morgan Engineering, I would like to express our strong support for Maules Creek and acknowledge the significant, positive impact they have on the community. Their success benefits everyone, and we wish them every success in their application.

Thank you.

I don't want the Maules Ck Project to go ahead to save the Swift Parrot and natural habitat.

MAULES CREEK CONTINUATION SUBMISSION
I object to this project for the following reasons:
The NSW government should not be considering coal mining projects that, if approved, will not begin for nearly a decade. We are in a climate emergency and coal mining is one of its key drivers. Global warming is bringing extreme weather events that are destroying communities and the economy. In response we are seeing positive legal reforms and increased community demands for fossil fuels to remain in the ground.
The NSW parliament has legislated emissions reductions targets for 2035 and 2050, and they are not on track to be met. The three million tonnes of C02e really matters for NSW targets. In addition the total emissions of 238 million tonnes from burning the coal overseas will have a much greater impact on global temperatures, including our temperatures here is Australia.
The mine may be called a "continuation" but maps of the mine reveal that the Whitehaven plan is to devastate another enormous swathe of the forest and in doing so destroy all the benefits the forest offers to the climate and biodiversity. In these circumstances the moral and ethical thing for the government to do is to reject this application. This would send coal corporations and the community a strong message that the government is serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Maules Creek open cut mine has already caused harm to agriculture and water resources. There are no alternatives to food and water but there are other options for a fast transition from coal mining.
I was horrified to see the map of the destruction of the forest and to learn that Whitehaven has bought up many of the properties surrounding the mine. This means that the community population is falling, health and education facilities are being lost and clean and essential industries are being lost to the region, while coal mining causes major air and noise pollution and damage to water resources. This has got to stop.
This proposal would drive the critically endangered Swift Parrot further towards extinction because the woodlands of the area are their habitat for much of the year. Protection of biodiversity and stopping extinctions needs to be an urgent and top priority for the government.
Please reject this proposal in the public interest.
Yours sincerely,
Marie Flood

Please accept this as my submission in opposition to the Maules Creek coal mine near Narrabri NSW.


In 2015 when this mine first started there was widespread opposition from people across NSW, also many objections from the local farming community and Gomeroi custodians. I stand in solidarity with these communities that are also against this mine.

The mine has been approved to continue until December 2034, but is now seeking approval to expand and extend the approval for a further 10 years until 2044. This expansion will mine another 117 million tonnes of coal for export. This will be disastrous for our climate and will destroy the Leard State Forest, further endangering the dwindling Swift Parrots, and of course a wide range of other flora and fauna, draining precious water resources and putting the health, wellbeing and future of the local community in jeopardy.

I don’t believe that the approval of this project is in the best interests of the local community, Australia or the planet, just for Whitehaven profits. We must accelerate the move to renewable resources, not profits for multi nationals. I also question why the state government has approved this coal mine expansion nine years before the expansion will begin. This project will clear more than 428 hectares of the Leard State Forest, a total of 46% of the forest cleared plus 500 hectares of habitat for the Swift Parrot which is critically endangered. This public land belongs to all Australians and must not be cleared for coal mines. Whitehaven has shown that it cannot be trusted as they have been investigated and found guilty of breaching laws repeatedly.

I would also like to highlight the destruction and waste this mine poses to local water resources. As the driest inhabited continent on the planet, protecting our water resources must be top priority for all governments and councils, state and federal. Farmers and residents rely on this water for their existence and we need more productive land, not less. This may force much of the local community to consider relocating and that would be very detrimental to the remaining community. Surely we must support local communities and protect them from the massive negative impacts of 19th century industry. Mining is notorious for creating dust pollution, noise and many other problems for local residents. My partner worked in White Bay in the 1970s and the amount of coal dust ingress into buildings was alarming and this was just from the coal loader, not even the actual mining processes.

In closing I urge you to think about the communities in this area and also those throughout this great land who are suffering the impacts of a warming climate. We do not need the projected 238 million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution that will arise from this expansion. This will completely wipe out any chance of NSW achieving climate targets and this cannot be allowed to happen, we must think of the local communities and future Australians and the impact this will have on them.

Give Australians a future, not tax dodging multi nationals even more profit and our taxes.

Thank you for this opportunity to submit my objection to this expansion.

I fully support the continuation of mining operations in our region. Mining plays a vital role in our local economy by providing stable jobs, supporting local businesses, and contributing significantly to infrastructure and community development. With proper environmental management and safety measures in place, continued mining ensures long-term prosperity for our families and future generations.

It is crucial that we maintain a balance between economic growth and environmental responsibility. Ongoing mining operations can and should be conducted in a way that respects the land, honours Traditional Owners, and safeguards the health and wellbeing of workers and surrounding communities.

The continuation of the mine represents not just a commitment to local employment and economic strength, but also to responsible resource management and regional sustainability.

Maules creek Cole mine is not only good for employment,
It’s the only reason that little towns like Boggabri thrive, maules helps push our local economy with 940 odd local jobs all in all 10 more years of maules would be a berry good thing for the community and miners in the area

We need not only continue this project indefinitely but to also use this coal ourselves. Government policy by all indicators seems to be intent on destroying our power grid and citizens’ ability to afford power.
Getting further in the way of mining will only expedite our own demise.