NSW government drafts law to allow Upper Hunter mine to increase output
NSW Premier Chris Minns says the legislation will aim to protect 400 jobs at the Mount Pleasant mine to 2032. Environment leaders say it's an overreach by the government, only weeks after a landmark High Court ruling.
The NSW government will introduce legislation to allow the Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley to increase its annual coal production to 16.5 million tonnes until 2032. According to The Guardian Australia, the bill would enable MACH Energy to increase its output by 4 million tonnes per year. Premier Chris Minns stated the intervention is necessary to protect 400 jobs at the site before Christmas.
The move follows a High Court ruling on October 7, 2026, which found the approval for an expansion at the Muswellbrook mine to be invalid. The Guardian Australia reports the government intends the legislation to address the legal uncertainty caused by that judgment.
While the Premier maintains the bill is necessary for job security, ABC News AU reports that environment leaders have described the move as government overreach following the recent High Court decision.
Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News AU, The Guardian Australia, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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