An environmental lawyer has accused the Queensland government of allowing itself to be "bullied" by failing to prosecute a coal company over alleged illegal mining in the state's south.
New Hope Group and the Department of Environment and Science (DES) this week reached an agreement for the company to rehabilitate more than 100 hectares of land following investigations into "alleged unauthorised disturbances" in an area known as West Pit, at its New Acland Coal Mine near Oakey.