---
title: Plibersek gives Santos gas project green light as Australia faces unprecedented bushfires
description: Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has quietly approved a Santos gas expansion in Queensland, which will operate until 2077.
---
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# Plibersek gives Santos gas project green light as Australia faces unprecedented bushfires
Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has quietly approved a Santos gas expansion in Queensland, which will operate until 2077 and has documented public concerns over threatened species and impact on water resources.
Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins has warned a summer of bushfires lies ahead, with the “compounding factor of climate change” meaning grassfires will turn into “something we’ve never really seen before”.
And Australia will introduce a permanent residency option for Pacific islanders this year, with some experts calling for the program to be treated as a climate migration pathway with priority for those from the most vulnerable island nations such as Kiribati and Tuvalu.
[‘Making climate crisis worse’: Greens blast Labor after Queensland coal seam gas expansion approved](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/21/making-climate-crisis-worse-greens-blast-labor-after-queensland-coal-seam-gas-expansion-approved)
The Greens have accused Labor of being more interested in opening new coal and gas mines than working together to improve climate policy after Tanya Plibersek approved 116 new Santos gas wells in Queensland.
[As La Nina wanes, what follows could be even worse](https://transition.meltwater.com/paywall/redirect/oe82VlDVEuWS3IQPfatgMGt9fEU?cid=da19f242-c1a5-4f7b-9b0e-1f947c2beca2&productType=explore)
Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins warns Australia faces unprecedented grassfires next summer and with climate change intensifying extreme conditions, governments must urgently prepare and help communities cope with this new era of unnatural disasters.
[Pacific islanders head to Australia over climate fears](https://transition.meltwater.com/paywall/redirect/_pyRWJXFw15y1NswDuZKKmWvvl0?cid=f88f0b1a-c752-475d-be7b-319acd001670&productType=explore)
Australia will introduce a permanent residency option for Pacific islanders this year and experts say it should be treated as a climate migration pathway, with priority given to people from the most vulnerable island nations such as Kiribati and Tuvalu.
[Super funds ramp up renewable energy investments](https://www.afr.com/policy/tax-and-super/super-funds-ramp-up-renewable-energy-investments-20230221-p5cm8i)
Superannuation funds have drastically increased their investments in renewable energy in the past decade and now account for about five per cent of the country’s overall renewable energy capacity investments.
[Macquarie River blocked in stretches as flood-time debris accumulates](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-02-22/macquarie-river-warren-blocked-flood-debris/101983858)
One of New South Wales' main inland rivers is being choked with woody logs and other floating debris after unprecedented flooding, with locals and landholders concerned about erosion and the possibility of the river being diverted.
[gas](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/gas), [climate change](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/climate-change), [Pacific](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/pacific), [fossil fuel](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/fossil-fuel), [Floods](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/floods), [renewables](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/renewables)
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