Legislation and Reform

Queensland Legislation Reform

Queensland’s resources and energy sector understands the importance of operating in a responsible manner and is committed to meeting its obligations. To ensure the sector is achieving leading practice environmental management and companies are compliant with their EAs, the regulator (assigned authority by relevant legislation) monitors operations across the State. Failure to meet the conditions set by the regulator or undertaking of activities that could cause harm to the environment results in compliance action. QRC supports its member companies in achieving compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and further encourages innovation to minimise adverse impacts on environmental values.

The resources sector has a vital interest in practical and stable risk-based legislation that meets Government policy objectives without imposing unnecessary cost burdens or duplicative regulation. QRC works with its member companies and Government to drive this outcome along with improved consultation including through the following committees and working groups:

• QRC Environment Committee, which meets every two months and is made up of representatives from QRC member companies who share lessons and strengthen operational approaches to best-practice environmental management.
• Monthly Resources Sector Working Group (RSWG) comprised of the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation (DESI), and industry members including QRC, and some QRC companies.

When proposed legislation is introduced to State Parliament, it is often referred to a Parliamentary Committee for consideration of public issues raised. QRC plays a key role in representing and providing a unified industry position on environmental matters that affect the resources and energy sector.

View relevant submissions

Commonwealth Legislation Reform

When proposed legislation is introduced at a Commonwealth Government level, QRC often joins with the Minerals Council of Australia and other industry representative bodies across jurisdictions to provide a collective position on environmental matters that affect the resources sector. The latest submissions prepared by QRC in collaboration with the Minerals Council of Australia and others on proposed Commonwealth legislation and lodged with the relevant national regulators, are provided below.

The most major current activity is the Commonwealth government’s Nature Positive Plan (NPP) reforms, which is an outcome of the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The proposed changes comprise a suite of reforms that will repeal the EPBC Act, and introduce:

• An independent statutory authority called Environment Protection Australia (EPA), responsible for compliance, enforcement, and assessments and decision-making.
• National Environmental Standards underpinning federal environmental law reforms, including:
  • Matters of National Environmental Significance
  • First Nations engagement and participation in decision-making
  • Community engagement and consultation
  • Regional planning
  • Environmental offsets
• National environmental data facility called ‘Environment Information Australia’ (EIA), ensuring essential information streams are available and maintained (as a single source of reference)
• Bioregional plans.

QRC is working closely with the MCA, and other industry associations and members, on the extensive developing outcomes of the NPP. Our associations continue to collaborate with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), which is managing the reforms, to work toward tangible, outcomes-driven, sustainable reforms to achieve the principles of the NPP while balancing the need for scientific based environmental regulation. The objectives of the NPP reforms, to be implemented across three stages as announced by the federal Minister for the Environment and Water, include:

● creating environmental protection laws that are nature positive
● streamlining the Commonwealth approvals process, including bilateral assessments with States and Territories
● introducing stronger environment powers
● delivering more environment information and transparency.

View Submissions