Abbot Point terminal expansion revitalised

The agreement will would see dredge spoil dumped on land adjacent to the existing coal terminal, not on the Caley Valley wetlands or within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

This means withdrawing from the current approvals process and presenting a new application centred on the new dump site.

The disposal of dredged material has been central to the debate about the coal terminal expansion, which is necessary to handle expected future export demand.

The Palaszczuk Labor Government has made election commitments based on no dumping of dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, or in the nationally-significant wetlands, and no taxpayer funding for capital dredging and the disposal of dredge spoil.

However the Australian Greens have labelled the building of the world’s largest coal port in the Great Barrier Reef in age of climate change as a “sick joke”.