FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 March 2026
Parents for Climate said the government’s no-greenfield position is a step forward, but misses the mark because all major coal mining projects proposed in NSW are extensions and expansions not new mines on greenfield sites. The new policy still allows for extensions and expansions that will unleash billions of tonnes of climate pollution.
While formalising restrictions is a step forward, the Government is still failing to provide the science-based, long-term certainty New South Wales needs: an end to coal mine extensions and expansions, and a funded plan to prepare communities properly for the global decline in coal demand.
The response comes after the NSW Net Zero Commission found the state is not on track to meet its 2030 and 2035 emissions targets and that continued extensions or expansions of coal mining are not consistent with the Climate Change Act or the Paris temperature goals. The Commission also found NSW needs to prepare for declining thermal coal demand and support a just and orderly transition for affected communities and regional economies.
Nic Seton, CEO of Parents for Climate said, “It is welcome to see the NSW Government finally formalise some limits on otherwise endless coal expansion. But this update still stops short of the clear-eyed leadership New South Wales needs.
“What families in New South Wales need is honesty and a plan. We need a fair phase-out of thermal coal, real support for workers and regional communities, and serious investment in the industries that can carry those communities forward.
“Parents are already paying for climate pollution through worsening disasters, extreme heat, rising household pressure and the growing costs of an unstable climate. Every year of delay makes the eventual transition harder on communities and harder on our kids.
“In 2026, continuing to sign off on coal expansion is not a plan for prosperity. It is a betrayal of the young people who will inherit the consequences, and of the regional communities who deserve more than false promises.”
“The real job of government is not to manage the politics of coal for another news cycle .It is to tell the truth, follow the science, and help communities navigate change with dignity, honesty and a better future,” Seton said.
Media contacts:
Nic Seton, Parents for Climate CEO, 0407 638 973 [email protected]
Regional parents case studies available on request
ENDS
About us:
ABOUT PARENTS FOR CLIMATE
Parents for Climate is Australia’s leading climate advocacy organisation for parents, carers, families and all who care about a safe future for kids, representing over 26,000 parents. Parents for Climate has been at the forefront of securing renewable energy in schools, such as the NSW Smart Energy School Pilot Project. Founded in 2019 by six regional, rural and urban mums in four states and territories, Parents for Climate is a parent organisation, run by parents for parents. Parents for Climate exists to secure ambitious climate action for the love of our kids.
Contact details:
Nic Seton, Parents for Climate CEO, 0407 638 973 [email protected]