"This is a test case,” Aldershot and District Against Mining group president Brian Linforth told the ABC.
“If this goes ahead it means the government will have an excuse to start approving coal mines so close to the coastline. This is one of the closest to the coastline anywhere in Queensland.”
New Hope reportedly said it was respectful of the land court process and the opportunity for objectors to be heard.
A further directions hearing has been scheduled for September 12 in Brisbane.
Located at Maryborough with the project area’s far northwestern fringe located closest to the coast – perhaps 20km away – the Colton site hosts a historic mine where small scale underground mining took place from 1865 until the late 1990s.
New Hope inherited the project courtesy of its 2011 takeover of explorer Northern Energy.
The project aims to rail coal 270km to Gladstone’s port and is targeting 500,000 tonnes per annum of premium-grade hard coking coal over an 8-10 year mine life.
Activist group Lock the Gate has confirmed that Linforth is dying of cancer but will continue his fund raising efforts.
“Brian's one last wish is to stop this mine so that they don't have their health and wellbeing destroyed by it,” LTG said during a funding drive in November.
