The High Court of Australia has dismissed MACH Energy's appeal concerning approval for a 22-year extension and expansion of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in New South Wales' Hunter Valley.
According to the court's judgment summary released on 7 October, a majority held that the NSW Independent Planning Commission had failed to consider whether conditions should be imposed to minimise all greenhouse gas emissions to the greatest extent practicable. The court specifically identified emissions associated with the use of exported coal, often called Scope 3 emissions.
The court summary says Scope 3 emissions accounted for 98 per cent of the project's predicted emissions. It also says the judges unanimously found that the commission had complied with a separate requirement to consider likely local environmental impacts. The question of whether climate change impacts could qualify as local impacts therefore did not arise for decision.
The ruling concerns this approval and the applicable NSW planning requirements. It does not itself amount to a blanket prohibition on coal mine expansions.
Source: High Court of Australia judgment summary, 7 October 2026. The case page links to the full judgment.
Illustration disclosure: The accompanying AI-generated image is a generic open-cut mine illustration, not a photograph of Mount Pleasant or the proceedings.
