We are concerned for the futures of our children and grandchildren as the climate warms to dangerous levels as a result of emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In a July 2021 court case Sussan Ley the Minister for the Environment accepted that "one million Australian Children are expected to suffer at least one heat-stress episode serious enough to require acute care in a hospital. Many thousands will suffer premature death from either heat-stress or from bushfire smoke".

In that case the Federal Court of Australia decided that when the Minister makes decisions on coal mine proposals she has a duty to take reasonable care to avoid causing personal injury or death to Australian children from emissions of carbon dioxide.  The Minister has announced that she is going to contest this decision.  In the meantime her decisions on the Vickery coal mine extension at issue in the case and another proposal at Russell Vale have been put on hold.  The Russell Vale proposal is very close to the Cataract Dam, a vital part of Sydney’s drinking water supply.

We demand that Minister Ley withdraw her appeal against the Court's decision, accept that she has a duty of care to all of our children and grandchildren to protect them from the consequences of climate change, and reject both of these proposals to extend coal mining.