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Activists Win Landmark Climate Change Case over MACH Mine Extension

The ruling sets a national precedent and affects 17 coal proposals in the NSW planning pipeline, according to the court.

  • On Wednesday, the High Court dismissed MACH Energy's appeal, upholding a ruling that the Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion approval violated mandatory legal obligations under environmental planning law.
  • Retired teachers Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan, representing the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group , challenged the project after it sought to double yearly output to 21 million tonnes.
  • Judges ruled the Independent Planning Commission breached s.4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 by failing to assess how exported coal pollution affects local climate risks including bushfires and drought.
  • The project's approval remains invalid, requiring referral back to the NSW Land and Environment Court or the IPC for reassessment of the mine's contribution to local climate change impacts.
  • Across the NSW planning system, the ruling sets a binding national precedent directly affecting 17 coal proposals currently in the pipeline and establishes a legal template for future climate litigation across Australia.
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19 Articles

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Environmental activists achieved a historic victory in the Australian High Court.

·Helsinki, Finland
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Local environmentalists trump coal mine in High Court

Community environmentalists have beaten an international mining company in Australia's High Court, cementing a landmark finding for climate change cases.

·Osborne Park, Australia
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maitlandmercury.com.au broke the news on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
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