Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority, has challenged the NSW approval of the Hunter Valley Operations mine, the largest coal development in the state's history, saying it did not weigh the economic cost of climate change.
Key facts
- The Hunter Valley Operations coal mine extension has been approved as the largest coal development in NSW history.
- The project has been given the green light to run until 2045.
- Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority, challenged the approval.
- Kean argues the Independent Planning Commission did not account for climate-related economic damage from burning the coal.
- Kean is a former NSW treasurer and energy minister.
A senior adviser to the Albanese government has publicly challenged the New South Wales approval of the largest coalmining development in the state’s history, warning that “climate change isn’t someone else’s problem.”
Matt Kean, the chair of the Climate Change Authority and a former NSW treasurer and energy minister, questioned the decision by the state Independent Planning Commission to approve the Hunter Valley Operations mine. According to the Guardian, Kean argued the commission had not weighed the economic cost of climate change caused by burning the coal from the project before giving it the green light.
The approval allows the Hunter Valley Operations mine to run until 2045, extending one of the region’s major coal operations well into the coming decades. The Guardian described the development as the largest coalmining project in the state’s history.
Kean’s intervention is notable given his role as a senior government climate adviser and his background in NSW energy and economic policy. His central criticism focused on what he characterised as a gap in the planning process: the absence of consideration for the broader, climate-related economic damage tied to the coal the mine would produce.
The Guardian reported the story as an exclusive, noting Kean’s position as chair of the Climate Change Authority. His comments frame the mine’s approval as part of a wider debate over how planning authorities balance resource development against the long-term costs of climate change.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights an ongoing tension between fossil fuel development and climate policy in Australia, with a senior government adviser openly questioning a major state approval. How planning commissions weigh the economic costs of climate change could shape future decisions on large resource projects.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hunter Valley Operations mine?
According to the Guardian, it is a coalmining development in New South Wales that has been approved as the largest coal project in the state's history, with approval to run until 2045.
Who is Matt Kean?
Matt Kean is the chair of the Climate Change Authority and a former NSW treasurer and energy minister, and is described as a senior Albanese government climate adviser.
Why did Kean challenge the approval?
Kean questioned why the state Independent Planning Commission had not weighed the economic cost of climate change caused by burning the coal from the mine before approving it.