Earlier this month, Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt had approved the project with 18 conditions.
Located in New South Wales, the mining project owned by Chinese firm Shenhua planned to extract 268 million tonnes of coal until 2046.
Under the proposal, Shenhua Group plans to construct and operate an open-cut coal mine, as well as associated infrastructure, including a coal handling operation and preparation plant.
Australian Associated Press cited Joyce as saying: "I’ve never supported the Shenhua mine.
"I think it is ridiculous that you would have a major mine in the midst of Australia’s best agricultural land."
"I’ve done everything in my power to try and stop the mine. We brought about further investigations; we had an independent expert scientific review.
"I feel this approval is unfortunate, but at the very least it gives the minister for the environment the condition that if any of the modelling does not turn out to be factual he has the capacity to stop it at that point."
The project was opposed by a farm group claiming that it would destroy some of Australia’s productive farmlands.
