Australia’s new government has announced plans to ban the development of a coal mine located near the Great Barrier Reef. Due to the potential impact of the Central Queensland Coal Project on the reef, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she intends to deny approval for its further excavation.
The mine is located northwest of the Queensland state town of Rockhampton. In a statement, Plibersek said, “Based on the information available to me at this stage, I believe that the project would be likely to have unacceptable impacts to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and the values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and National Heritage Place.”