Following rejection of the South32 Dendrobium Mine Extension proposal by the Independent Planning Commission in February 2021, the NSW Government has granted the proposal State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) status. This effectively overrules its own independent planning approvals processes.

SSI status means that the Planning Minister will have the final say in approving or rejecting the project, with no right of appeal open to the community.

Kelly Fuller from ABC Illawarra wrote an excellent article on this development, which you can read here.