The Hume Coal Project is not economically viable and should be rejected. Despite recommending against approval, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment overstates the economic case for the project.
The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) regarding the Hume Coal Project. This follows our presentation to the IPC’s electronic public hearing on Tuesday 13 July 2021.
Our presentation and this submission focus on the Project Assessment Report by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE), specifically the claim in the report that the project would result in a net economic benefit to the NSW community. This claim is not justified and DPIE appear to misunderstand the concept of net benefit.
This submission does not go into detail on the flaws of the various economic assessment documents commissioned by Hume Coal, prepared by BAEconomics, or the wider impacts of the Hume Coal Project on the economy of the Southern
Highlands. These issues have been covered in detail in our four previous reports and submissions.