Plibersek on Wednesday announced she had chosen to block the controversial mine using the nation’s environmental laws for the first time.

The proposed Central Queensland Coal Project was an open-cut mine northwest of Rockhampton, that would have had capacity to produce up to 10 million tonnes of coal for export, every year for 25 years.

Asked if the decision could set a precedent for fossil fuel projects, Plibersek denied all developments had been put on notice.

“Every decision before me – whether it’s a mining project or energy project, transmission lines, housing estates – each one of them has to be decided on its merits,” she told Sky News on Thursday.

“I’m making a decision case-by-case, and in this case the risks were unacceptable.”

Plibersek said recent reports showed the nation’s environment was in bad shape and only getting worse.

“If we just keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’re going to be facing things like the extinction of the koala in Australia,” she said.

“That’s not something I’m prepared to accept.”

Plibersek said she wanted to see the creation of Australian jobs and this could take place without being at the expense of the environment.

Opposition regional development spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said the minister needed to provide the reasons behind her decisions to prove she didn’t “have it in for the mining industry”.

“We want to make sure that the pipeline of coal and gas projects is being continued while also maintaining our tough and world-class environmental standards,” she told Sky News.

In her decision, the environment minister said the proposed mine posed a very real risk of causing “irreversible damage” to the Great Barrier Reef as it was less than 10km from the natural wonder, and could also threaten freshwater creeks and ground water.