The commission, an independent expert panel that determines applications for major projects, signed off on the controversial $88 million project planned for Bushells Ridge, near the Central Coast border with Lake Macquarie.

The coalmine proposal had beens referred by the state government to the commission for determination after the Department of Planning and Environment strengthened the conditions of consent for the proposal which had been amended in 2016.

But the Wyong MP said today’s decision by the commission would not necessarily be the end of the 22-year saga.

He called on the Premier to urgently address the issue and “deliver on the Liberals’ promise” to stop the mine.

“In 2011, [then opposition leader] Barry O’Farrell said there were no ifs and no buts about the mine being stopped. Well, now there are no ifs and no buts that the Premier is the only person who can stop this,” Mr Harris said.

Mr O’Farrell was “notoriously photographed” wearing a ‘Water not Coal’ T-shirt with his Central Coast candidates, Mr Harris said.

“Millions of dollars were spent on securing the Central Coast water supply in 2007 after 10 years of drought and now that could be at risk from mine waste water.

“This proposal includes a coal loader and conveyor belt at Blue Haven within a kilometre of homes and schools, and for that matter within five kilometres of Wyong Hospital.”

Speaking at a Wallarah 2 protest rally at Wyong in November, Mr Harris repeated his call for Ms Berejiklian to stop the mine, just as former Labor Premier Kristina Keneally did when the previous Wallarah 2 Coal Project won approval in 2010.

“I have to pay tribute to Kristina Keneally because she actually stood up at the end and said, in this case, we have to put the community first,” Mr Harris told the rally.

“That’s a very hard thing for a Labor Premier to do. What’s wrong with this (Coalition) government doing this as well?”

He said today the time had arrived for the Premier to act.

“Gladys Berejiklian needs to step up and deliver on the commitment to stop this mine before it’s too late and we are left to suffer her inaction on what remains a broken Liberal promise,” he said.

“The buck stops with you, Premier.”

Alan Hayes from the Australian Coal Alliance, which opposes the mine, told the November rally that a community court challenge was likely if the commission approved Wallarah 2.

He reiterated that prospect today, saying the community strongly opposed Wallarah 2 because of the risks posed to the region’s drinking water catchment.

The commission’s decision spoke of the risk of “unplanned early mine closure” because of the uncertainty facing global coal.

NSW Greens energy and resources spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said today’s approval of the Wallarah 2 coalmine demonstrated the Liberal Party could not be trusted to keep election promises and would “always back the coal industry” over the community. 

“In 2014, the Greens introduced a bill into NSW Parliament to enact the Liberal Party promise to stop the Wallarah 2 coalmine, but both the government and the Labor opposition refused to even allow debate on the bill. The old parties are absolute hypocrites,” Mr Buckingham said.

“NSW should not be approving any new coal mines, let alone coal mines that threaten vital water catchments.

“The community of the Central Coast has long battled this mine and I’m sure they will continue and the Greens will stand with them the entire way.”