Up to 400 workers at MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter region have been offered job security ahead of Christmas, with the New South Wales government introducing emergency legislation to keep the site operational.
The Mount Pleasant Mine Bill 2026 resolves legal uncertainty surrounding the mine’s 2022 Independent Planning Commission consent following a recent High Court judgment.
With the planning application referred back to the Land and Environment Court, the government’s direct intervention ensures employees will not be stood down while legal proceedings play out.
Under the legislation, the mine can maintain its current production profile, extracting up to 16.5 million tonnes of coal annually until 2032 or until a new planning consent is formally granted.
The planning consent authorised under the bill will only take effect once MACH Energy enters into a legally binding Jobs Guarantee Agreement. The agreement protects all permanent staff, requiring quarterly workforce reporting and threatening significant fines for unauthorised job cuts.
As a final safeguard, the Minister for Natural Resources retains the power to halt operations entirely should the company breach the guarantee.
The legislation also introduces mandatory Scope 3 emissions conditions, mirroring recent approvals for the Hunter Valley Operations mine. This includes strict restrictions limiting coal exports to nations maintaining climate policies aligned with the Paris Agreement.
“Families across the Hunter have worked in our coal mines for generations. They don’t need uncertainty hanging over their heads at Christmas – they need to know their jobs are safe, and this Bill delivers that,” Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said.
Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos noted the government was stepping in to protect local livelihoods.
“While MACH Energy works through the court process, we need to make sure the mine’s workers – to put it simply – keep their jobs,” Houssos said.
“This is about backing working people and backing the Hunter communities that have helped power our state for generations.”
