New Hope's first export shipment, 17,332 tonnes of Bundamba coal, was aboard MV Floret which sailed from the Maynegrain grain terminal at Pinkenba on 10 September 1980.

Total production from the Ipswich area was 2.8 million tonnes (1.54 from open cut mines and 1.28 from underground operations).

Two mines, Westfalen and Box Flat were forced to close due to the termination of their supply agreements with the Swanbank Power Station.

The increase in exports played a major role in restructuring the workforce in the district, with open cut mining being more cost effective to compete on the world market.

At the end of the twentieth century, the declining export market and Australian dollar increased pressure on the local mining operations, forcing further restructure.

[citation needed] It was the end of an era; coal had been barged to various sites on these rivers, the last of which was QBH at Fisherman Islands, since the 1840s.

This approval was controversial since it was done as one of the last acts before the election season and after records published by the Australian Electoral Commission show New Hope Coal donated $650,000 over the course of the prior three years to the Liberal National Party of Queensland.

Environmental concerns has been raised about the mine because it is expected to discharge 985 million litres into the Mary River.

In July 2008, New Hope entered into an agreement to sell its New Saraji Coal Project to BHP Mitsubishi Alliance for $2.45 billion.