Spend less time on reviews, more on solutions – AMEC

An axed review of mining lease objection processes in Queensland had been treading over old ground, according to the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies. AMEC chief executive officer Warren Pearce said the new State Government's decision to scrap the review was to be commended and demonstrated a willingness to get on with the job. The review, being conducted by the Queensland Law Reform Commission, kicked off in mid-2023 and was officially withdrawn on March 4. “The review started almost two years ago and was yet to deliver an outcome. This is a common sense approach by Attorney-General Deb Frecklington and the Queensland Government," Mr Pearce said. Mr Pearce said the resources sector supported spending less time on reviews and more time on solutions to reduce delays and improve approval time frames. Moving the Mining Lease Objections and Appeals Review to the agenda of the new Resources Cabinet Committee was a positive step for the industry and the community, he said. Move sparks outcry from EDO However, the Environmental Defenders Office has slammed the decision to ditch the review just months before its report was due as disappointing and wasteful. “This move devalues the importance of community input in critical assessment processes for some of the state’s most environmentally damaging projects,” EDO managing lawyer in Queensland Andrew Kwan said. “We trust this does not signal that the Queensland Government is turning its back on the many farmers, regional and First Nations communities, and other Queenslanders adversely affected by mining who made submissions to the QLRC. “The proposal for a Resources Cabinet Committee instead does not set out any role for consideration of the views of these affected Queenslanders.” A spokeswoman for Ms Frecklington said the Crisafulli Government had established the Resources Cabinet Committee, as promised, as part of its 100 Day Plan. This was set up to consider policies and initiatives to maintain and improve the competitiveness of Queensland's resources sector and the value of its supply chain, she said. "We acknowledge the work undertaken by the QLRC and this has been made available for the RCC’s consideration," she said. Concern over potential duplication, delays AMEC chief executive officer Warren Pearce. Mr Pearce said there were already multiple processes in place for the community to challenge projects they deem unworthy in their local area. "To have people and professional protestors from outside the state holding up projects is anti-productive." AMEC’s submission to the Queensland Law Reform Commission argued that many of the topics under review already had formal processes assigned. It was opposed to potential changes that were likely to cause duplication to the approvals process, unnecessary administration and undermine the expertise of the mining and exploration sector. The Queensland Law Reform Commission has provided Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last with a folder of working papers from the review. He said yesterday that elevating these issues into the Resources Cabinet Committee struck the right balance to support industry investment and development while safeguarding Queensland’s environment. The Environmental Defenders Office said that to ensure fair and accountable processes in the best interests of all Queenslanders, the Resources Cabinet Committee must commit to: Holding open public forums to avoid perception of mining industry capture Retaining third-party rights to seek merits reviews Strengthening community input into development assessment and decision-making Reading all the submissions to, and analysis provided by, the QLRC Releasing all proposals for public comment Read what iQ Industry Queensland reported on this issue yesterday: https://industryqld.com.au/lnp-ditches-review-into-mining-lease-objections/

Spend less time on reviews, more on solutions – AMEC

Industry Queensland

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