Maules Creek Continuation Project

Maules Creek Coal Mine is a large operation that supports hundreds of local jobs and brings a lot of money into the region. It has plenty of coal left and can keep running for many more years. The mine is known for strong safety practices and is working hard to protect the environment through land rehabilitation.

By allowing the mine to stay open until 2044, we can keep people employed, support local businesses, and make the most of the resources already available. The mine is also helping restore the land so it can be used for nature again in the future.

While Australia is moving toward cleaner energy, coal still plays an important role in making sure we have reliable power and keeping industries like steel running. Maules Creek helps support that balance, making it a smart choice to keep the mine open during the energy transition.

Help with my future employment

I entirely support this without it our community will struggle

Provides local jobs, new careers, supports community and opportunities

I want to support the continuation of this project of the Maules Creek further a further 10 years until 2044. I will be one of the 900+ people that would lose their jobs if this does not go ahead. There will also no money injected into the local communities and they will suffer. The Shut the gate people need to remember where the steel comes from to make their cars around to protest mining. WHC is one of the best mining companies i have work for in my 18 year mining carere.

The United Nations Secretary General has strongly suggested no new coal mines or extensions to coal mines and the International Court of Justice has warned those that do may be subject to expensive litigation from Island States. And, in a peer reviewed scientific document, it states that 70% of our atmospheric oxygen comes form the ocean, but climate change could stop such production causing massive asphyxiation on Earth. As there already exists today massive oceanic dead zones hundreds of square kilometers in size, this threat to atmospheric oxygen is very real. These arguments, ought to supply sufficient argument to halt further coal mine extensions.

The Maules Creek Mine helps to diversify the regional economy, sustain local communities, provide skilled jobs, and support global energy security and economic development. As a member of the mining community via our business being a supplier to the industry, we support the Maules Creek Continuation Project for the following reasons:
• Approximately 940 ongoing jobs
• Approximately 70% of employees are locally-based
• Approximately $160m paid to the Maules Creek Mine workforce in FY 24
• $200m+ spent with local businesses and suppliers in FY24
• Maules Creek Mine contributed $168 million in royalties to the NSW Government in FY24
• Approximately 14% of Maules Creek Mine employees identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

I object to the project because climate change has not been considered.
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.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

Dr Robin Gunning

Hello Planning Minister,

I object to the approval of the Maules Creek Continuation Project because the Project won’t start until 2034, and the following facts are noted.

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.

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot in the Leard State forest, 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 sacrificed for the sake of coal mine profits.

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.

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 Creek 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. There will be Health consequences for the communities around the area with Mental and psychological issues.

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.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW's achievement of climate targets.
The above are the facts to support my argument for NSW NOT to approve the Maules Creek Continuation Project.

Best Regards,
Nadarajah Rajkumar (Raj)

I write poetry about Endangered Species at www.theonemillionpoetry.com
I have written a poem about the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot highlighting the critical need to preserve its mainland and Tasmanian habitat. They are one of only two migratory Parrot species in the world.
The Maules Creek Coal Mine expansion will destroy more of the dwindling Swift Parrot habitat which is incompatible with the Federal Government's commitment to 'no more extinctions'. I attach a copy of the poem to back my submission. It can also be found on my website as above.
On top of the loss of habitat there is of course the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change and global warming which is a blanket threat to all species including humans. It is not compatible with the current science and reason to expand this coal mine or any other.
Thank you
Anthony E. Lovell

The Maules Creek Continuation Project presents a material and foreseeable climate risk with
insufficient mitigation, poor methodological integrity, and questionable public benefit. This
assessment will seek to review the climate impacts of the project, relevant regulatory standards
that may impact the project, and a review of the potential cost-benefit impact on the state. This
has been conducted through a reconstruction of emissions profile of the Project as outlined in
the Greenhouse Gas Assessment, as well as an in-depth review of cost benefit assumptions
outlined in the proponent’s Economic Assessment. The continuation proposal is also placed into
the context of several relevant policy recommendations and instruments such as the EPA’s 2025
Large Emitters Guide, NSW Net Zero Future Act, or the 2025 NSW Productivity Commission
recommendations.

According to the proponent’s own estimates, the project will result in 5.7 million tonnes of CO2-e
(Scope 1) between 2028 and 2044. Of this, 3.3 million tonnes CO2-e are additional compared to
the existing base-case. However, this project relies on fugitive methane estimates using NGER
Method 2, which has come under increasing scrutiny from the NSW EPA, CSIRO, and Climate
Change Authority due to its sparse sampling, lack of transparency, and high uncertainty
potential. By contrast, similar projects such as HVO have been required to undertake
domain-based gas profiling, pre-drainage pilot trials, and independent verification. Maules
Creek’s estimated methane emissions are not only well below peer benchmarks, but are
unsupported by any publicly disclosed sampling data or error bounds in their existing
Greenhouse Gas Assessment.

The proposal’s economic case is also undermined by inflated thermal coal price assumptions,
inconsistent with current forecasts from the Department of Industry and IEA. A corrected
scenario applying benchmark pricing suggests the fiscal benefit is significantly overstated and
vulnerable to downside risk. Through an integration of the NSW Treasury’s carbon pricing
framework (TPG24‑34), we estimate that this expansion is projected to cost the state
approximately $420 million in carbon liabilities (Net Present Value, AU$ 2024). This represents
more than half of the proponent’s projected royalty returns of the project.
However, through a revision of the potential coal price that would likely be achieved within
current market dynamics, we estimate that the project may only provide $668 million in
additional royalty income throughout the project’s life, a significant decrease compared to the
proponent’s current estimates. As such, this submission indicates that close to 60% of projected
state royalty revenue may be offset by an updated assessment of the project's domestic carbon
costs alone. This is before accounting for the 238 million tonnes of additional downstream
CO2-e emissions (Scope 3).

I support this project as it provides over 900 well paid local jobs, including indigenous workers, so the money stays in the community ($160m per annum). Plus, it invests substantial amounts of money into local businesses (over $200m), and ongoing community investment. Then the government receives good royalties ($168m last year).
These are jobs that can't be replaced by AI, so it will be ongoing jobs, so, greater employment rates.
Also, Whitehaven have a good reputation with things like increased water efficiency; a revegetation program, on top of offset and rehabilitation... and more,
It is important on so many levels to keep this mine producing good quality clean coal.

Here's all the reasons needed to approve this project.
• Approximately 940 ongoing jobs
• Approximately 70% of employees are locally-based
• Approximately $160m paid to the Maules Creek Mine workforce in FY 24
• $200m+ spent with local businesses and suppliers in FY24
• Maules Creek Mine contributed $168 million in royalties to the NSW Government in FY24
• Approximately 14% of Maules Creek Mine employees identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
And even if this project is stopped, mining of coal, these exports will continue. All of the above will go to Indonesia or China or India or Bazil. I find it morally reprehensive that once we build our wealth on coal to then deny a third or second world country the same right to build their wealth on coal. Want to do more for climate change, do it via other means e.g. build nuclear.

Whitehaven has not proposed to mine land outside its existing tenement.
The expanded mine would support 800-900 jobs, with three quarters of the workforce based locally.
The mine helps to diversify the regional NSW economy, sustain local communities, provide skilled jobs, and support global energy security and economic development.
The mines spends $200m annually with local businesses and suppliers.
The mine added $168m in royalties to the NSW government in FY24.
The mine will include a revegetation program to establish approximately 2,300 ha of native woodland Landscape Revegetation Zones in the vicinity of the mine.

Loss of jobs and revenue

I support the continuation of the Maules Creek Project for the following reasons:
1.) Continuation of employment for direct employees, contractors and service providers in rural NSW
2.) Continuation of the royalty revenue stream to support state government infrastructure and services in NSW
3.) The Maules Creek product is lower in ash and sulfur and less harmful to the environment than inferior coal from other countries including Indonesia
4.) Continuation of Whitehaven Coal's Community contribution and support which is vital to the ongoing prosperity of the Gunnedah and Narrabri regions.

Maules Creek provides jobs and an income to our community

I object to more destruction and removal of trees and habitat for native animals