Dawson Mine

Dawson Mine is a coal mining facility operated by ANGLO COAL (DAWSON MANAGEMENT) PTY LTD in QLD. Like all covered facilities, underground and open-cut coal operations emit methane and energy-related CO₂. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, Dawson Mine must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2023–24, Dawson Mine reported emissions of 539 kt against a baseline obligation of 486 kt — an overage of 53 kt. The facility covered the overage through a combination of ACCUs and SMCs.

Purchasing credits is legal and intended by the Safeguard Mechanism's design — the policy deliberately allows facilities to choose between cutting on-site emissions or funding abatement elsewhere in the economy. Whether credit purchases represent genuine long-term decarbonisation depends on whether the facility's absolute emissions are trending down over time. The chart above shows the trajectory since reporting began. This question applies to all covered facilities under the Safeguard Mechanism, not Dawson Mine specifically.

Across the coal mining sector, 8 of 8 covered facilities reported emissions above their baseline in 2023–24. The table below compares Dawson Mine with other coal mining facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.