Cairns-based economics/finance commentator KS has a great post questioning the Cape York coal rush reported in the Australian today. KS notes:

Many in the Far North may not be aware that there are coal deposits on Cape York mostly in the Laura Basin. Coal exploration here is not new and at one time exploration permits were held by BHP, which had been acquired in the takeover of Utah. Waratah Coal and MCIhave held exploration leases for a few years now…

…Apart from environmental and logistical constraints there is a long queue of proposed coal mining developments elsewhere, and I doubt these are a high enough priority to see much actual mining anytime soon even if  approval could be obtained.

Hence, the Wilderness Society, which is claiming Huge dirty coal mine planned for Cape York, doesn’t really have anything to worry about. My guess is that approving coal mines on Cape York wouldn’t just be politically courageous, but politically suicidal.