Coal kills koalas: Environment Minister must stop the approvals

2024-06-17

New research evidence shows 40,000 hectares of Koala habitat are threatened by new coal mine proposals. Experts and the Greens have called on the Albanese Government to stop choosing coal over koalas. According a joint letter from 50 NGOs, there are 40 coal projects in NSW and Queensland waiting federal assessment and more than half have areas overlapping koala habitat.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens spokesperson for the Environment:

“Coal kills koalas. It destroys their precious habitat and it fuels the climate crisis.

“40,000 hectares of Koala habitat are directly threatened by coal mines. Labor must stop approving coal and start protecting endangered koalas.

“Every tonne of coal burned and every piece of koala habitat destroyed will worsen the extinction and climate crises.

“The Government should listen to the experts and ban new native forest logging and put a climate trigger in our environment laws.”