Australia's centre-left government clears first new coal mine

Australia's centre-left Labor government said Friday it will approve a new coal mine for the first time since it won power a year ago, sparking an angry reaction from environmental groups.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government said it would authorise Bowen Coking Coal's Isaac River mine project in Queensland to extract metallurgical coal for making steel.

Though relatively small in scale, it is the first new coal mine to be given the go-ahead by the government, which swayed many voters by promising to slash planet-warming carbon emissions after a decade of Australian foot-dragging on climate action.

"The Albanese government has to make decisions in accordance with the facts and the national environment law -– that's what happens on every project, and that's what's happened here," said a spokesperson for Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

"Since the election we've doubled renewable energy approvals to a record high," the spokesperson said in a statement.