The Land Court of Queensland has recommended Minister Lynham grant the Mining Lease and the Environmental Authority be issued for the Kevin’s Corner coal mine in the Galilee Basin, subject to the original draft conditions.
The Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said in a statement that the GVK backed mine would inject billions of dollars into regional Queensland with 1,800 construction jobs, 1,600 operational and thousands more through indirect employment for the life of the mine.
“The findings clearly recognise that both the Queensland and Commonwealth impact assessment frameworks are rigorous and appropriate,” he said.
Once operational the mine would produce up to 30 million tonnes of coal which provides the government with an extra $168 million of royalties to the Budget annually.
The Queensland coal industry delivered $32.7 billion dollars to the state’s economy last financial year while employing directly and indirectly 183,000 people.