Acland coal mine: Company seeking mine expansion donated $700,000 to LNP, federal Liberal Party

Updated

Landholders on Queensland's Darling Downs say they are fighting a losing battle to stop a huge mine expansion on prime farming country because the company behind the project is a massive donor to the conservative side of politics.

The mining group New Hope wants to expand its coal mine at Acland, west of Toowoomba, taking the operation's output from 4.8 million tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes per year.

It will also increase the mine's water consumption to 9 billion litres per year, in an area that has recently been drought declared.

The $890 million New Acland Stage 3 project needs State Government approval, with Queensland's coordinator-general to make the final decision.

But landholders at Acland complain that the existing mine is bad enough without any further expansion.

"The noise is already terrible," grazier Tanya Plant said.

"There's been a lot of underground water taken by the mine and the water supplies around here are very fragile and very precious.

"Like now, in drought, a lot of our dams are dry, and we're very reliant on the underground water."

The Acland district and other parts of the Darling Downs were drought declared in March.

"This [expanded] mine is going to be using 9 billion litres of water a year to wash coal and to suppress dust on their roads," grazier and local veterinarian Nicki Laws said.

"Not only are we losing the soil, but we're losing the underground water."

Landholders also fear they are losing the ear of the Government.

"The figure I've seen in the last couple of years is at least $700,000 has been donated to the LNP," Ms Laws said.

The $700,000 was donated to both the Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP) and the federal Liberal Party by New Hope and its Australian parent company, Washington H Soul Pattinson, over a three-year period.

Multiple donations of $100,000, and a single payment of $250,000, were contributed by New Hope and its parent between 2010-2011 and 2012-2013.

Just this week, it was revealed that in the second half of 2013 New Hope again contributed, this time more modestly, with two donations totalling $3,400.

Taken together these amounts make the coal miner one of the biggest donors to the conservative side of politics.

"That has to influence policy," Ms Laws said.

"No-one's going to give away that sort of money without expecting something for it."

Just before winning government the LNP raised concerns about the scale of the proposed Acland mine expansion and its impact on strategic cropping land, prompting New Hope to slightly scale down its plans.

Last year, Queensland Energy Minister Mark McArdle and his Cabinet colleague Environment Minister Andrew Powell watched the Wallabies versus British and Irish Lions rugby as guests in the New Hope corporate box at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.

As required, both ministers logged this hospitality in the "Gifts received valued at over $500" section in the Queensland Parliament's Register of Members' Interests.

But out on the brown plains of Acland, it's a long way from the lush turf of Brisbane's premier football stadium.

"What makes them want to sidle up to these guys at the rugby, to be seen with them and to have any doubt cast upon what they’re [the ministers] doing?" Ms Laws said.

When contacted by the ABC, the office of the Energy Minister Mark McArdle said the minister has no role in deciding on the future of the Acland mine expansion.

Mr Powell's office failed to respond to repeated queries from the ABC.

New Hope said it engaged with political representatives and community leaders at local, state and federal level.

"These interactions are on the public record," it said in a statement.

It comes amid rising controversy about links between the Queensland Government and the mining sector.

Earlier this week the ABC revealed that miner QCoal donated the services of its corporate affairs manager to the Queensland Liberal Party during the last election.

James Mackay has also chaired the LNP's state environment and heritage protection committee since 2012.

Mr Mackay's employer, QCoal, is embroiled in controversy over plans to divert a creek in north Queensland to mine the coal underneath.

The ABC revealed that farmer Garry Reed faces financial ruin after losing a legal battle to stop the diversion of Coral Creek, with the Queensland Land Court awarding costs against him.

QCoal's owner, the reclusive billionaire Chris Wallin, is one of the Queensland LNP's biggest donors.

Do you know more about this story? Contact investigations@abc.net.au

Topics: mining-rural, rural, mining-environmental-issues, acland-4401, qld, toowoomba-4350

First posted