The North Queensland Miners Association (NQMA) is seeking relief from emergency management levies charged on mining leases that are not being worked.

The Queensland Fire Department says the levy is its primary funding source and local governments collect it through rates notices.

Association treasurer Terry Edwards said small miners often held several leases at different stages because approvals could take between three and five years.

Main Image courtesy of CSIRO

He said members did not oppose the levy but objected to unused land being treated as an operating extractive-industry property rather than vacant land.

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“We’d like to be treated like everybody else in the state,” Mr Edwards said.

“That land is not earning you any money. It’s not as though you’re getting money that you can pay for these emergency services. If it’s vacant, it’s vacant. They’re not doing anything.”

Under the current Fire Services Regulation 2011, class E vacant land attracts an annual levy of $30. Class E extractive-industry properties larger than 20,000sq m attract $1,811.60.

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Mr Edwards said the association had raised the issue with the ministers and departments responsible for mining, fire services and local government.

“Local government add the levy onto the rates notice and they administer and pick up the funds and send them through to the fire department. So there’s three departments involved.”

He said the costs flowed through to regional communities.

“Our members are small businesses. We work in the bush. We have our families back in some of the small regional towns like Cooktown. And we’re part of the fabric. We spend money in the towns, our families live in the towns.

“So when you hit a small mining community with fees like these, you’re putting people out of business, you’re putting people at risk of financially not being able to carry on.”

Mr Edwards said some miners held up to 12 leases to maintain a pipeline of future mining areas.

The NQMA has about 100 members representing alluvial gold, opal and tin miners, among others.