Improve regulatory efficiency
The Queensland Government is committed to ensuring that its regulatory framework is risk-based and transparent, reflects the community's expectations and protects the public interest.
What we want to achieve by 2050
- Queensland will be benefiting from risk-based, efficient, effective and transparent regulation that ensures the state’s resources are explored and developed in the public interest.
- Regulation will be contemporary, insights-driven and the community will be confident that the resources industry is well regulated.
What we will do to achieve these goals
The Queensland Government will ensure that its regulatory regime is risk-based, efficient, effective and transparent.
Have your say on the proposed actions in the draft Queensland resources industry development plan.
Process improvements
Lead: Department of Resources; Department of Environment and Science; Office of the Coordinator General
When: 2022–23
A credible, transparent and efficient assessment system, which is easily understood and respected by industry and the community, is an essential element of responsible government.
In Queensland, several agencies are involved in processing resource applications. The Queensland Government will make the following improvements to these processes to speed up the process and find efficiencies:
- Improve coordination and communication among relevant departments and governments.
- Improve the capability of industry and assessing agencies.
- Increase transparency for applicants and the community.
The government will work further with stakeholders to implement business process improvements.
Lead: Department of Resources
When: 2022
Quality data is essential for making evidence-based decisions and supporting industry innovation for economic prosperity.
Through our open data portals, Queensland Globe and GeoResGlobe, the government publishes thousands of datasets on land, property, geospatial and geoscience. Industry uses this information to make business investment decisions.
The Department of Resources is developing a data resources development plan to ensure the quality and value of this data. This plan will implement efficient data collection processes for the resources industry. This will also support the government’s improvements to resource project assessment processes.
Lead: Department of Resources
When: 2022
The Queensland Government has a land release process that includes both direct applications (for non-coal minerals) and competitive tendering (all commodities) for resources tenure.
Recent reviews of Queensland’s land release and competitive tendering process have identified issues that affect operational efficiency, industry and community confidence in the process, and, ultimately, the level of investment in Queensland’s exploration sector.
The Queensland Government will implement 3 initiatives to address these issues:
- Review the land release model, tender timing and frequency.
- Streamline decision making and reduce timeframes.
- Include highly prospective minerals exploration areas in the Queensland Exploration Program
Regulatory reforms
Lead: Department of Resources
When: 2022-24
There are inconsistencies in approaches to objection and review mechanisms for administrative decisions across the Resource Acts. These can cause delays and create inequities for stakeholders.
The government intends to refer to the Queensland Law Reform Commission a review of the objections processes for mining leases under the Mineral Resources Act 1989, including the role of the Land Court in this process, and whether a consistent process should be applied to petroleum leases.
The review will also include the associated review processes with environmental authorities under the Environmental Protection Act 1994. The terms of reference for the review will be developed in consultation with key stakeholders. Timing for the review will be confirmed in the final plan.
While the Commission undertakes this work, the government will investigate opportunities to harmonise broader review mechanisms for other decisions across the Resources Acts to provide more transparency, consistency and equity for stakeholders. We will also investigate targeted legislative amendments to streamline public notification processes. All reforms will maintain environmental protections and the opportunity for the community to participate.
Lead: Department of Resources
When: 2021-23
The State’s return from the regulatory and administrative effort it expends on regulating small scale mining is limited due to small production amounts which provide limited economic returns to the state.
Additionally, a recent cost-benefit analysis found that the sector had only a marginal benefit on the Queensland economy and surrounding communities.
As a result, the Queensland Government proposes to remove mining claims from the Mineral Resources Act 1989. It will implement an immediate moratorium accepting new mining claim applications while consultation on this proposal occurs through this draft.
The government will announce its decision about progressing this reform in the final plan. It will also consult with stakeholders to develop transitional arrangements to grandfather existing tenement holders. In working through these transition arrangements, requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 will be considered and streamlined.
Importantly, small-scale miners will still be able to gain tenure through a mining lease, and recreational miners will still get access to designated fossicking areas in the state.
Lead: Department of Resources; Resources Safety and Health Queensland
When: 2022-23
The Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 and Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017 prohibit the use of steel casing in horizontal wells unless the operator receives an exemption from Resources Safety and Health Queensland.
The Queensland Government will remove the prohibition on the use of steel casing in horizontal coal seam gas wells where there is no overlapping tenure. The well’s exact location and type will be reported and made publicly available through the Department of Resources’ Open Data Portal.
The government will also consult with stakeholders about the merits of additional regulatory reform. One option could be to allow steel casing in horizontal wells if the relevant tenure holders have included the use of steel casing in their joint interaction management plans and/or joint development plans.
Lead: Department of Resources; Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning
When: 2022-23
Key resource areas (KRAs) are areas of land where the Minister for Resources identifies extractive resources of state or regional significance, such as sand and aggregates, which are needed to support the construction and infrastructure sectors.
The State Planning Policy states that, when KRAs are identified, the relevant local government must protect the extractive resource through provisions in its planning scheme.
The Queensland Government will consult with stakeholders, including local governments, the community and extractive industry operators, to develop a fit-for-purpose extractive industry assessment framework. This framework will balance the impacts of extractive industries with local and state need for construction materials to support infrastructure priorities.
Lead: Department of Resources
When: 2022-23
The package of process and regulatory reforms discussed in this section will improve the efficiency of the services and functions that the government provides to the resources industry.
However, the Department of Resources recovers only around 15% of the total cost of administering the regulatory framework that applies to the resources industry.
The fees and charges that industry pays should better reflect the costs of the services being provided, in line with the government’s principles for fees and charges.
The Queensland Government will develop a regulatory impact statement to consult with stakeholders on ways to more fully recover the department’s administrative costs.
As part of this work, the Queensland Government will also undertake a review of rent to ensure that rent charged to resource authority holders is appropriate and that it encourages active exploration and development.
Last reviewed 25 May 2022
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