Category: Australian News

The Albanese Government continues to invest in Victoria’s future with a new investment of $3.8 billion towards the transformational Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project. 

Delivered as part of the 2026 Federal Budget, this investment brings the total Albanese Government spend for the project to $6 billion. 

SRL East will deliver a 26-kilometre underground orbital rail line through Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs.

It will create interchanges with four of Melbourne’s established radial rail lines at Cheltenham, Glen Waverley, Box Hill and Clayton, while connecting rail lines in four directions, including regional V/Line services on the Gippsland Line. 

The project will support economic productivity by improving public transport connectivity between major employment, education and health precincts including Monash, Box Hill, Clayton and Burwood. 

Businesses in Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern middle corridor will benefit from more visitors coming by public transport and by having their staff able to cross suburbs quicker and more easily. 

Precincts to be connected by SRL East will support the delivery of 70,000 additional homes and more housing choice, as well as reducing urban sprawl.

The project will support 3,000 jobs through construction, and will create up to 8,000 local jobs in the long term.

This latest investment builds on the Albanese Government’s previous $2.2 billion toward land acquisition and early works for the project.

Tunnelling for the project will commence by the end of this year, with Tunnel Boring Machines currently being assembled on site. This project is expected to be completed in 2035.

Anthony Albanese

“This project is a game changer for the city of Melbourne and the state of Victoria. 

“Ensuring Victorians can get into Greater Melbourne and across suburbs, rather than having to go into the CBD then back out, helps speed up travel times, get cars off the road and increases opportunities for businesses in Melbourne’s east. 

“My Government is proud to partner with the Allan Government in delivering a better future for commuters across Victoria.”

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan

“In the Albanese Labor Government we have a partner in Canberra who gets what our growing state needs.

“The Suburban Rail Loop will slash travel times and cut congestion for busy families.” 

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King

“This investment by the Albanese Government in nationally significant infrastructure such as SRL boosts productivity and accessibility for Victoria. This is why we are getting on with delivering vital projects such as SRL East, Melbourne Airport Rail and the North East Link.

“SRL East will better integrate different transport modes, delivering a seamless and future-ready transit network for the fastest-growing areas of Melbourne.”

Victorian Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop Nick Staikos

“By the 2050s, Melbourne will be the size of London – Melbourne needs an orbital rail connection that will cater for this growth and better connect people to jobs, education and healthcare.

“Only Labor will deliver the Suburban Rail Loop. Jess Wilson’s Liberals will cut it – sacking thousands of workers and leaving tunnel boring machines sunk in the ground.” 

Labor’s adoption of the Australian Energy Producers-supported gas reservation policy as Australian government policy is yet another capitulation to the gas lobby.

National momentum for a 25% tax on gas exports is surging, with rallies planned around the country this Friday to tax gas not beer.

Evidence presented to the select committee investigating a 25% gas export tax, including evidence from the Department of Treasury, comprehensively refuted the gas lobby’s claim that an export tax would threaten trade relationships.

Greens chair of the Gas Select Committee, Senator Steph Hodgins-May

“This policy was written to protect gas corporate profits and Labor has just adopted it as government policy. It will raise no revenue and prolong the great Australian rip off,” said Senator Steph Hodgins-May on Thursday.

“The gas corporations get to keep their obscene wartime profits while Australians will see services like the NDIS slashed in the budget when the government cries poor.

“Announcing this policy just before the gas export tax committee report is released, as if people aren’t smart enough to know a distraction tactic when they see one, proves Labor is running a protection racket for gas corporations.

“The campaign for a 25% tax on gas exports is just getting started, as support for this policy continues to grow. More than 60% of Australians support a tax on gas exports. The Prime Minister’s prevarication has nothing to do with protecting trade relationships and everything to do with protecting his fossil fuel donors’ profit margins.

“While Australians are getting smashed by interest rate rises and cuts to services in the budget, the Albanese government has made it clear that their priority is protecting corporate profits, not people. And they’ll have to explain that decision next week.

As the illegal war in the Middle East fuels inflation and economic inequality, Labor’s budget must choose a side: deliver for people, or deliver for corporate profits and the wealthiest few.

This budget represents a tipping point for Labor. In the UK and the USA, we’ve seen what happens when people’s trust in Parliament is eroded by successive decisions that prioritise the profits of big corporations and the wealth of the 1% over the urgent needs of ordinary people. 

Labor’s decision to cut the NDIS, the largest cut to a government program this century, while continually refusing to tax the profits of gas corporations who are anticipating eye-watering profits in this fuel crisis, undermines the government’s narrative that they are looking to tackle inequality in this budget.

A 25% tax on gas exports would raise $17bn, and would also have the deflationary impact of incentivising the domestic sale of gas and pushing domestic gas prices down, rather than exporting it offshore and incurring the export levy.

The Greens have called for reform to the tax breaks for wealthy property investors in successive parliaments. Reforming negative gearing and the CGT discount was a Greens demand during the 2023 debate over Labor’s HAFF Bill. Former Greens Leader Adam Bandt delivered two NPC addresses on the topic, first in 2023 and again during the 2025 election campaign. In this parliament, Senator Nick McKim led a Senate inquiry that found the capital gains discount skews home ownership towards investors. This is a critical piece of reform and the test will be whether Labor’s plans are enough to stop the housing crisis getting worse.

The Greens are calling on Labor to:

• Stop the NDIS cuts
• Tax the exports of gas corporations, and reinvest the $17 billion in cost of living support we all need
• Rein in the massive tax handouts for wealthy property investors
• Stop the billions of dollars going to AUKUS for submarines that Australia may never receive
• Dedicate new money to electrification, with a focus on renters and people who live in apartments

Senator Larissa Waters, Leader of the Australian Greens:

“This budget will determine this Labor government’s legacy: will they continue to deliver for the corporations driving inflation and ripping us all off?

“Will they continue to let gas exporters and big corporations pay no tax, to funnel billions into defence, while cutting services for disabled people, hurting renters and abandoning people who need it most?

“If the government works with the Greens to tax corporations making obscene windfall profits, and then invests in the things we all need to live a good life, it will show millions of people that Parliament can improve their lives.

“But if Labor continues their moral failure of kicking people off the NDIS to balance the budget, saying there’s no money for essential services while committing $53 billion for war and weapons to appease Trump, it will just fuel people’s anger at a system that doesn’t work for them.

“This will be the defining budget of Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmer’s careers. The moment calls for courage, not cowardice, and for Labor to stand up to their corporate donors.

“The Greens would work with Labor to tax the corporations making obscene windfall profits and use that money to pay for the things we all need to live a good life.”

Senator Nick McKim, Greens spokesperson for Economic Justice:

“The Greens have consistently called for  property investor tax breaks to be reined in, and Labor now has a once in a generation opportunity for genuine progressive tax reform.”

“Labor should have reformed negative gearing and the CGT discount years ago, but thanks to their refusal to listen to sense, we’ve seen runaway house prices continue during both terms of the Albanese government.

“Everyday people are not responsible for the war, but Labor supported it, and now people are footing the bill with higher prices and successive interest rate rises.

“The 1% aren’t paying more because they don’t have mortgages, but they are certainly enjoying the extra interest on their investments.”

Senator Barbara Pocock, Greens spokesperson for Finance, Housing & Homelessness:

“Renters and mortgage holders are on the front line to fight inflation while Labor delivers massive profits to the banks,” said Senator Pocock.

“People know when the system is working for the 1% and big corporations and not for the rest of us.

“For decades the major banks have made enormous profits price-gouging on people’s mortgages, contributing to the pain of inflation. Labor needs to tax the banks, not hardworking people.

“Labor needs to deliver bold, ambitious tax reform that puts home buyers and renters first. It must do away with tax incentives for those who need it least and build more public housing.”

The Greens-led Select Committee into the taxation of Australia’s gas resources has tabled its final report, agreeing that the gas export tax regime should be revisited in light of recent global instability following conflict in the Middle East.

However, the committee did not reach agreement on whether changes to the current regime are required, including the proposed introduction of a 25 per cent export tax. Any such recommendation required the support of Labor or Liberal members to be included in the final report.

As a result, the report does not include a majority position on reform to the gas tax system.

Despite this, evidence to the inquiry directly contradicts claims from the gas industry and the Prime Minister that an export tax would increase prices for overseas buyers. Submissions and testimony from Treasury, economists, and gas companies themselves indicate that the cost of such a tax would largely be borne by Australian producers rather than overseas customers, given the structure of long-term contracts and global pricing arrangements.

The committee report omits these key findings as well as any detail of evidence provided by witnesses and submissions. This material has instead been set out in the Chair’s additional comments, which highlight the significant body of expert and community evidence supporting a minimum 25 per cent export tax.

The report is tabled just days ahead of the May Budget. 

Chair of the select committee, Senator Steph Hodgins-May: 

“This inquiry shows Labor knows this issue isn’t going away, but still refuses to address the problem that Australians are not getting a fair share of our resources.

“Labor is desperate to kick the can down the road, but the massive national momentum for a gas tax is clearly making them nervous.

“Labor has a choice in this budget: tax the gas corporations to pay for things we all rely on like the NDIS, or forge ahead with brutal cuts while the gas corporations get Australian gas for free and make obscene war time profits.

“If Labor fails to tax the gas corporations in this budget, it will be clear who they’re really working for.

“Labor clearly knows something needs to change, but they’re not brave enough to do it now, and not in a way that challenges gas company profits.

“The cowards in Labor will not even agree that we need a way to get our fair share back from these gas companies. That tells you everything about the grip the gas lobby has over this government.

“The Prime Minister is out of step with his own backbench, Labor’s own members, he is out of step with the public, and repeating arguments that come straight from the gas industry playbook. 

“Pointing to conflict overseas is a convenient excuse to delay action while billions in gas profits continue to flow offshore, but we heard from Treasury, economists and even gas companies: the cost of an export tax would come out of gas company profits, not from our trading partners.

“The experience in high-taxing jurisdictions like Norway is not that gas companies and trading partners flee.  Those companies stay, but the public actually gets a fair share for their resources.

“The Prime Minister is echoing the gas industry’s scare campaign on trade and stability, despite the evidence saying otherwise.

“Gas companies talk about protecting investment but what they mean is protecting their profits. A gas export tax would do exactly what they fear, cut into those profits and deliver a fair return to the public.

“While households and businesses are under huge pressure, gas companies and their U.S shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank and cashing in on free gas that should be owned by all Australians. 

“The longer this government delays, the longer Australians miss out. Australians expect and deserve a fair return and this fight is far from over.”

Links: 

Australian Greens Additional Comments 

Committee report

Excerpts from Hansard and answers to Questions on Notice:  

Dr Ken Henry: overwhelmingly the incidence falls on those who are the shareholders, really, of multinational companies. That’s where the incidence would fall. Australia is a major gas exporter but is not a big influencer of the world price of gas.

Origin Energy: In general, we would have to absorb those costs, and our customers, both domestic customers and international customers, purchase the gas under long-term arrangements 

INPEX: INPEX’s long-term LNG sale and purchase agreements do not allow us to renegotiate due to a tax or royalty change. 

Treasury: I think a lot of the exports are underpinned by either long term contracts where prices are relatively well established or spot sales to markets where essentially it’s a global market price which has been set so both of those factors would seem to suggest that the economic burden of any tax change would be more likely to fall on the producers. 

The Greens have welcomed the government finally moving to “consult” on a national early childhood education and care commission, but say families will be let down yet again if next week’s budget fails to deliver meaningful investment to establish it. 

Australian Greens spokesperson for early childhood education and care, Senator Steph Hodgins-May, announced a plan for an early childhood commission more than a year ago ahead of the 2025 federal election, backed by experts across the sector. The proposal was again recommended by the Greens in their dissenting report to the Senate inquiry into the quality and safety of ECEC.

Labor has now announced it will begin “consultation” on a commission, but has not committed funding in next week’s budget to establish it. Reporting also suggests the Treasurer has poured cold water on progress toward universal childcare.

Senator Steph Hodgins-May:

“Once again, Labor is all talk and no action. The Prime Minister cannot keep calling early learning his legacy while offering crumbs when families are crying out for real reform.

“Consultation is fine, but families and educators already know what’s needed. The Greens have put forward a serious plan for an independent national regulator with teeth to crack down on unsafe centres, lift standards, and drive the transition to universal early education. 

“Families are struggling right now with skyrocketing childcare fees, concerns about quality, and an increasingly privatised system that treats children like profit margins, and this is if they can even find a place in a centre at all.

“I’ve spent more than a year pushing the Minister to act on a national commission, only to hear the same excuses over and over: not now, maybe later.

“Now we’ve got another vague, non-committal announcement that kicks the can further down the road.

“When is the right time? Parents are at breaking point. They cannot wait any longer for a properly funded, affordable, high-quality universal early learning system that works just like primary and secondary school.

“If Labor was willing to stand up to the gas cartel and introduce a minimum 25 per cent tax on gas exports, we’d have the revenue not just to consult on reform, but to actually build the universal early learning system families deserve.

“If next week’s budget fails to deliver that investment, Labor will have let families down once again.” 

“The Reserve Bank was forced to increase interest rates again today because the Treasurer keeps pouring debt petrol on the inflation fire”, said Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson.

Mr Wilson’s comments follow the Reserve Bank’s decision today to increase interest rates by a quarter of a per cent from 4.1% to 4.35%, and inflation data last week that showed persistent underlying domestic inflation compounded by the Iran conflict.

In its decision, the RBA noted “Inflation picked up materially in the second half of 2025, and information since the beginning of this year confirms that some of this increase reflected greater capacity pressures”.

“The Treasurer said this time last year that Australia had turned the corner on inflation and interest rates – and he is right that it was upward, again. This is now the highest interest rates have been under this Labor government”, Mr Wilson said.

“The Treasurer hasn’t taken inflation seriously, and that’s why Mums and Dads are paying higher interest rates”.

“This is the 15^th interest rate rise under Labor. A family with an average mortgage is now paying $29,000 a year more in interest than when Labor was elected”.

“Yesterday the Opposition released data showing an average couple with an average mortgage had $30,000 less in purchasing power under the Albanese government, and the pressure keeps mounting”.

“While Australian households are being told to pull their belt in, the Albanese government seems disinterested and unwilling, and now they’re introducing a new suite of family savings taxes on homes, rentals and trusts to feed it”.

“The Treasurer’s idea you need to break trust, to build trust, to target trusts is absurd”.

“Mums and Dads will be able to sniff out the Treasurer’s family savings tax agenda, and they should tell us their stories at www.notthetax.com.au”, Mr Wilson said.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering a major uplift in NSW TrainLink coach services, with new and improved routes and modern coaches designed to better serve rural and regional communities. 

A 36 percent funding increase across the NSW TrainLink coach network will lift total funding to $290 million over the next nine years, delivering smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers across the state.

From 1 July, 14 coach operators will run 49 routes across the NSW TrainLink coach network, delivering 638 long-distance services each week, up from the current 592 services across 45 routes.

This increases the total coverage of the NSW TrainLink coach network by almost 200,000 kilometres, bringing it to more than 7.15 million kilometres.

The funding will improve existing routes and the introduction of new services, with safety, comfort and accessibility at the centre of the upgraded coach network. On some routes, the uplift will save passengers over two hours in travel time.

Additionally, the majority of services will be operated by modern coaches featuring wheelchair accessibility, improved seating and seatbelts, mobile phone charging points, onboard defibrillators and toilets.

The new services have been informed by extensive community feedback including from regular customers and operators, as well as input from the NSW Bus Taskforce, delivering on the outcomes of an in-depth network review. This includes ensuring better connections between coach services and other modes of transport.

The new routes will service over 360 destinations across NSW and into Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the ACT.

Key improvements include:

• A new Armidale–Port Macquarie return route creating an Armidale–North Coast connection for the first time, with a train connection at Wauchope to Coffs Harbour, Grafton, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and Brisbane
• An enhanced Port Macquarie – Wauchope service enabling travel to Grafton, Coffs Harbour, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and Brisbane (for the first time). Enhanced service between Port Macquarie and Wauchope, providing both northbound and southbound connections. This enables journeys from North Coast and Queensland centres such as Grafton, Coffs Harbour, the northern rivers, Gold Coast and Brisbane to and from Port Macquarie for the first time.
• A new Yass–Young coach route connecting with rail at Yass (saving up to two hours on a Young–Sydney trip), plus a two-hour journey time saving for Griffith and Temora passengers travelling to and from Sydney and Canberra. Services will include Yass Junction to Young on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Young to Yass Junction on Thursdays and Sundays. These will connect with rail services to provide a faster, more direct service between Young and Sydney.
• The Goulburn-Canberra-Goulburn day return service will run seven days a week, providing a weekend service for the first time.
• A new Dubbo Airport stop for routes to and from Nyngan, Bourke and Broken Hill.
• The popular route between Tamworth and Dubbo and return will increase to three times per week.

For more information, click here.

Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison said:

“The Minns Labor Government is delivering better connections for regional communities.

“The former Liberal National Government gutted transport across the regions. This additional funding is essential in restoring our regional public transport links and ensuring our regional communities are able to access the services they need and deserve.

“When we came to government, we committed to improve public transport for people in rural, regional and remote areas. This initiative, based on direct feedback from local communities is filling in the gaps in our regional coach network.

“We know that our NSW TrainLink coach services are crucial, connecting our rural and regional communities to health, education, family and friends.

“These changes deliver savings of up to two-and-a-half hours, we’re making it easier for regional communities to choose public transport and leave the car behind.

“With around 500,000 passenger journeys every year, It’s important that we take our passengers where they need to go, when they need to get there.”

Chief Executive of NSW TrainLink, Roger Weeks said:

“After listening to passengers, local operators and the NSW Bus Taskforce, we’ve reshaped the network to make services more reliable, better connected and easier to use, matching service provision to community need.

“Alongside the network review, we’ve overhauled our coach contracts, making wheelchair accessible coaches standard with better passenger amenities like improved air conditioning and toilets standard.”

An Australian woman has been charged by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) for allegedly entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone and joining ISIS.

The woman, 32, is expected to face Downing Centre Local Court tomorrow (8 May, 2026), after being arrested on arrival into Sydney International Airport today (7 May, 2026) by the NSW JCTT.

The woman was charged with entering, or remaining in, declared areas, contrary to section 119.2 of the Criminal Code (Cth), and being a member of a terrorist organisation, contrary to section 102.3(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth). Both offences carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

It will be alleged the woman travelled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, who had previously left Australia and joined ISIS.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt said operational planning for the potential return of individuals from the Middle East started in 2015 and later formalised under an overarching operation named Kurrajong.

“Australian JCTTs methodically investigated all Australians who travelled to declared conflict areas and will ensure those who are alleged to have committed a criminal offence are put before the courts,” Assistant Commissioner Nutt said.

“JCTTs include some of the most experienced national security investigators and analysts in our country.

“This remains an active investigation into very serious allegations.”

The NSW JCTT comprises the AFP, NSW Police Force, ASIO and the NSW Crime Commission.

The priority for law enforcement is to ensure the safety of the community, and suspicious activity can be reported to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400; or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police also recognise this information may be distressing for some people in the community, and support is available. Anyone feeling overwhelmed is encouraged to contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Two Australian women from Victoria have been charged by the Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) with crimes against humanity offences allegedly committed in Syria.

The women, aged 53 and 31, are expected to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today (8 May, 2026), after being arrested on arrival into Melbourne International Airport yesterday (7 May, 2026) by the Victoria JCTT.

The 53-year-old woman was charged with:

Crimes Against Humanity – Enslavement, contrary to section 268.10 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth),
Crimes Against Humanity – Possess a Slave, contrary to section 270.3(1)(a) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth),
Crimes Against Humanity – Use a slave, contrary to section 270.3(1)(a) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), and
Crimes Against Humanity – Engage in slave trading – Purchase, contrary to section 270.3(1)(b) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
These offences each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.

It will be alleged the woman travelled to Syria in 2014 with her husband and children, and was complicit in the purchase of a female slave for US$10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in the home.

The 31-year-old woman was charged with:

Crimes Against Humanity – Enslavement, contrary to section 268.10 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), and

Crimes Against Humanity – Use a slave, contrary to section 270.3(1)(a) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.

It will be alleged the woman travelled to Syria in 2014 with her family and knowingly kept a female slave in the home.

The women were detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 and held with other family members in Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt said operational planning for the potential return of individuals from the Middle East started in 2015 and later formalised under an overarching operation named Kurrajong.

“Australian JCTTs methodically investigated all Australians who travelled to declared conflict areas and will ensure those who are alleged to have committed a criminal offence are put before the courts,” Assistant Commissioner Nutt said.

“JCTTs include some of the most experienced national security investigators and analysts in our country.

“This remains an active investigation into very serious allegations.”

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said the safety of all Victorians remains paramount.

“Victoria Police will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and other agencies to ensure there is no risk to our local community,” Assistant Commissioner O’Brien said.

“We want to reassure all Victorians that anyone residing in our state who has committed serious criminal offences, including those returning from conflict areas, will be held to account.”

The Victoria JCTT comprises the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO.

The priority for law enforcement is to ensure the safety of the community, and suspicious activity can be reported to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400; or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police also recognise this information may be distressing for some people in the community, and support is available. Anyone feeling overwhelmed is encouraged to contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

On 13 May 2026, the High Court of Australia will hear the nation’s first ever climate change case to reach our highest court— a landmark moment that will set a binding national precedent on whether Australian planning authorities are legally required to consider the local climate impacts of fossil fuel project approvals.

The case, MACH Energy Australia Pty Ltd v Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group Inc (DAMS HEG), was brought by a grassroots Hunter Valley community group challenging the approval of a major expansion of the Mount Pleasant open-cut coal mine near Muswellbrook. The NSW Court of Appeal ruled unanimously in July 2025 that the mine’s approval was unlawful — finding that planning authorities are legally required to consider the specific local climate impacts of a project’s downstream emissions. MACH Energy is asking the High Court to overturn that ruling.

The case arrived at an extraordinary moment. Just 12 hours before the NSW Court of Appeal’s ruling, the International Court of Justice in The Hague delivered its own landmark advisory opinion, finding that fossil fuel-exporting nations bear legal responsibility under international law for the climate harm their exports cause. Australia had argued to the ICJ that it bore no such responsibility for emissions from its coal and gas exports. The ICJ rejected that argument.

Four of the world’s leading climate law and science institutions have been granted leave to intervene in the High Court in support of DAMS HEG — from the Universities of Cambridge, Columbia and Melbourne, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The case is being watched internationally as a test of whether domestic law can hold fossil fuel producers accountable for the local consequences of dangerous climate change.
The case directly affects 18-plus coal proposals in the NSW planning pipeline, and other fossil fuel developments under consideration across Australia. It will provide a foundation for other major climate cases including the Pabai Torres Strait appeal, the North West Shelf challenge, and future climate litigation across Australia and internationally.

Wendy Wales , President, DAMS HEG
Wendy Wales is a retired science teacher and the president of the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group — the community group that brought this case. She and her partner Tony Lonergan run a farm in the Upper Hunter Valley, surrounded by open-cut coal mines. She has driven this case through three court levels over four years.
“Our communities are enduring increasingly terrifying climate disasters, and nature is deteriorating before our very eyes. Yet our governments are continuing to throw fuel on the fire by approving massive new projects and expansions like MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project. We have felt the catastrophic impacts of droughts, bushfires, floods and a myriad of other tragic events. The short term economic benefits can not be given priority over the exponentially increasing long term consequences”.
 
Tony Lonergan , Treasurer, DAMS HEG
Tony Lonergan is a retired science teacher and farmer whose family has worked land in the Upper Hunter Valley for generations. His property sits adjacent to the Mount Pleasant mine, and he has joined his wife Wendy Wales and DAMS HEG through this legal journey. 
“What could be more important than protecting our unique natural heritage and biodiversity, or ensuring we can live safely in Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter for generations to come? The continuation of coal mining in NSW prioritises the private interests of a few over a safe climate and the future of our children and grandchildren. Our planning laws are clearly not climate ready if projects as harmful as the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project are allowed to proceed. Addressing global heating means cutting our greenhouse gas emissions, and fast. Political parties have to face reality. Do you want to address this existential problem or not? Stop pretending.”
 
Elaine Johnson , Director, Johnson Legal (can not do interviews before hearing)
Elaine Johnson is the founder and director of Johnson Legal, the firm representing DAMS HEG in the High Court proceedings. She has supported her clients through the Court of Appeal proceedings, and now the High Court.
“Continued fossil fuel production is driving climate harms here at home, and Australia is still one of the largest exporters of coal in the world. We look forward to supporting our clients in their defence of the NSW Court of Appeal’s decision overturning the Mount Pleasant Coal Mine expansion.
“The NSW Court of Appeal’s decision was truly groundbreaking, and is already changing how proposals for new and expanded fossil fuel projects are assessed in NSW. The High Court will now determine whether that decision holds at law on appeal.”
 
Professor Nicole Rogers, Professor of Climate Law, Bond University
Professor Rogers has particular expertise in climate litigation, climate activism and the law, and interdisciplinary climate studies. She is author of two monographs on the legal ramifications of the climate crisis and a co-author of the 2026 Edward Elgar publication Re-imagining Environmental Law . She has published widely on the transformative potential of climate litigation in reshaping legal and policy frameworks.
“Australia’s apex court hearing its first climate change case is a watershed moment in the history of Australian law. Courts around the world — from The Hague to London to Canberra — are being asked the same fundamental questions: can legal systems keep pace with the climate crisis and to what extent are decision makers who continue to approve fossil fuel projects accountable for climate impacts?  The Mount Pleasant case is Australia’s latest contribution to that global conversation, and the High Court’s answer will be studied by others well beyond the Upper Hunter Valley.”
“In light of the recent findings of the International Court of Justice, this case and others highlight the growing legal and economic risks for anyone seeking to continue approving fossil fuel projects without considering the real-world climate consequences. Australia is positioning itself as a prime target for future climate litigation if its federal and state governments fail to heed these risks.”
 
Emeritus Professor Mark Howden AC, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions; Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Emeritus Professor Howden has worked on climate variability, climate change and climate impacts for over 36 years. He is a Vice Chair of Working Group II of the IPCC — the group responsible for assessing climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability — and helped develop both the national and international greenhouse gas inventories that underpin the Paris Agreement. His core expertise covers climate science, climate impacts on agriculture and food security, ecosystems, water and energy systems.
“The science on this is unambiguous. Every tonne of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere contributes to global warming — and that warming is already measurably increasing the frequency and severity of extreme heat, drought, flood and fire events across south-eastern Australia and globally. This is not a projection about the future. It is a description of what is happening now, documented across decades of observation and confirmed by arguably the most comprehensive global scientific assessment process in history.”
“Drawing quantitative linkages between individual greenhouse gas emitters and particularised harms is now feasible, making science no longer an obstacle to the justiciability of climate liability claims. The science linking human activity to observed and future climate changes is clear and unequivocal. The question before the High Court is whether Australian law is prepared to recognise it.”
 
BACKGROUND
· The Mount Pleasant open-cut coal mine sits 3km upwind and northwest of Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley, NSW. It is owned by MACH Energy Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Salim Group. MACH Energy sought to double the mine’s output to 21 million tonnes per year and extend its life to 2048 — generating an additional 870 million tonnes of CO₂, 98% of it as Scope 3 emissions from coal burned overseas.
· The NSW Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on 24 July 2025 that the Independent Planning Commission had failed a mandatory obligation under s.4.15(1)(b) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to consider the specific local climate impacts of the mine’s emissions. MACH Energy was granted special leave to appeal on 4 December 2025.
· The ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change obligations of states was handed down on 23 July 2025 — the day before the NSW Court of Appeal ruling — finding that fossil fuel production, export licensing and subsidies can constitute internationally wrongful acts.
· Five institutions have been granted leave to intervene in the High Court in support of DAMS HEG: Melbourne Law School Climate Futures (Prof. Jacquie Peel), Oxford Faculty of Law (Harj Narulla), Cambridge Centre for Climate Engagement, Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law (Columbia University), and the Union of Concerned Scientists (Dr Christopher Callahan).
· DAMS HEG is represented by Johnson Legal. Lead barrister at the High Court hearing is Naomi Sharp SC. The hearing is scheduled for 13 May 2026 in Canberra.