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When Singapore-based OGL Resources Limited (ASX:OGL) announced its plans to reopen the 675ha Ebenezer Coal Mine west of Brisbane next year, little did it know that koala lovers would take them to the Supreme Court. The legal action, led by Graham Turner, one of the wealthiest businessmen in Australia, is based on the grounds that OGL’s operations would devastate the region and its koala population.
Besides reopening the coal mine, OGL has also obtained a mineral development licence to mine a further 9202ha of privately owned land, known as the Bremer View Coal Project.
Turner, who also owns a resort in the Lockyer Valley, near the proposed new mine said he is astonished the government would allow the mine to open in a well-known koala habitat corridor, reports local media outlet Courier Mail.
“Reopening an open-cut coal mine so close to the Rosewood community and the possibility of a new mine further west of the area is a devastating development for the local community and the environment,” Turner said.
More than 200 properties would be directly affected by the mine, proposed for a spot eight kilometres east of Rosewood and another 200 would be indirectly affected, added Turner.
In a statement the Minister of Mines, Stirling Hinchliffe, said that any commercial scale production would need another permit, which hasn’t been sought or approved.
According to Australian media, the legal fight also has a political dimension – the Opposition has already promised a complete ban on mining in south-east Queensland, and a state election is due in March.
