August 26, 2022
Resources Minister Scott Stewart has announced what the New Hope company has been waiting a decade to hear … the mining leases for New Acland Stage 3 have been approved.
The Minister made his announcement late on Friday afternoon, saying he had made the decision after “careful consideration”.
However, there is still one more hurdle for the mining company to overcome before work can get under way.
The project also requires an associated water licence from the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.
Queensland LNP Senator Susan McDonald, the Federal Shadow Minister for Resources, urged that this licence now be expedited.
“New Acland Stage 3 is already the most scrutinised resources project in Queensland history and I urge the State Government to finally grant the water licence and bring certainty to all the people who have been left in limbo by the continuous court cases and bureaucratic delays,” the Senator said.
“I congratulate the owners of New Acland mine for staying the course and resisting one of the most concerted efforts by environment groups seen in Queensland to kill this project at every step.
“This is good news for hundreds of workers on the Darling Downs and good news for Queensland’s economy at a time when the State’s international reputation for investment attractiveness has dropped alarmingly.”
Earlier this month, Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio called for the uncertainty over the mine’s future to finish.
“This will end more than a decade of court battles and delays in approvals that have had a negative effect on the mine’s long-term operations – with several hundred redundancies at the mine in November 2021 – not to mention Oakey township and its surrounding communities,” the mayor said at the time.
“If the mine expansion is approved, Council firmly expects that New Hope will quickly revive operations at the site with many more jobs created as a result.”
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