Environment Minister Tanya Pilbersek has approved an extension of three thermal coal mines, including the Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project from Whitehaven Coal.  

The proposal extends mining in Narrabri from 2031 to 2044. 

The duration of the approval lasts until 31 December 2066 to allow sufficient time for rehabilitation measures.

Opponents based in the northwest have slammed the decision to expand the Narrabri project, saying it will have a devasting impact on the Pilliga forest, groundwater bores, and cultural heritage sites.

“This will essentially sterilise a whole swathe of farmland. The mine will be long gone but the water depletion will remain," Boggabri farmer Sally Hunter said. 

“At a time when food security is getting ever so important and farmland and water should be protected, Tanya Plibersek is sacrificing precious groundwater so multibillion-dollar coal companies can export fossil fuels for another two decades.  

“This is a bloody disgrace.”

The approval has been a blow to First Nations groups campaigning for the cessation of coal mining in and around the Pilliga Forest. 

"I'm disappointed we're in 2024 and we're still finding ways to extract fossil fuels," Gomeroi woman Suellyn Tighe said. 

Ms Tighe has been fighting for years to keep the land of her ancestors free from pollution through coal and gas extraction. 

"On the one hand, they profess to be a green government, yet they are still granting extensions for mining."

“The Pilliga Forest and the water that runs through and beneath it is sacred to Gomeroi," Traditional Gomeroi owner Karra Kinchella said. 

“Tanya Plibersek’s decision to approve Whitehaven’s destructive Narrabri coal mine expansion is an insult to us and our ancestors."

Minister Pilbersek has stated that the approval is following environmental laws that stipulate a 100,000-ton carbon emission safeguard mechanism, but Ms Tighe says those laws are not enough to save the environment.

"I think it's a weak premise to be standing on."

The mine extensions are set to secure 1,800 jobs in total with the Narrabri mine employing around 500 people. 

In the 2023 financial year, 29 percent of Whitehaven's 18.2 metric tonne run-of-mine coal production came from the Narrabri mine. 

Whitehaven has said it will continue to identify and minimise environmental impacts such as air quality, noise pollution, and a robust water management system. 

According to an independent survey conducted by Whitehaven, 51 percent of the community in Narrabri has a positive sentiment towards the company, an increase of 16 percent compared to ten years ago. 

"We have set an overall Scope 1 emissions intensity reduction target that aligns with our obligations under the safeguard mechanism," Managing Director and CEO of Whitehaven Paul Flynn said. 

"In the 2023 financial year, we reported zero environmental enforcement actions which compares favourably with four in the prior year.

This reflects our focused investment in capacity and infrastructure over the past several years." 

Other coal mines that have been expanded include the Ashton Coal Project in Ravensworth and the deepening of the Mount Pleasant mine from MACH energy.