Submissions

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Draft Code of Conduct for Renewable Energy Developers (draft Code) and the accompanying Draft Industry Guidance on the Code of Conduct (draft Industry Guidance). QRC supports clear and practical expectations for community and stakeholder engagement by renewable energy developers. QRC also welcomes the consultation documents’ acknowledgement that renewable energy developments may interact with resource authority areas. The draft Code defines a “resource authority area” and refers to co-development facilitation convened by Coexistence Queensland, while the draft Industry Guidance refers to engagement with resource authority holders and potential resources industry representation in community engagement processes.

Renewable energy developments are increasingly being proposed in areas with existing resource tenure, known resource potential and established resource infrastructure. While coexistence may be achievable in some circumstances, current frameworks do not provide a clear or consistent mechanism for protecting existing resource tenure rights, managing resource sterilisation risks, or considering the State's long-term interest in the development of State-owned resources. As a result, interactions between renewable energy projects and resource development are currently being managed on an ad hoc and project-by-project basis, creating uncertainty for proponents, landholders and government.

Submitted to the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) project team re: its Draft Report on the Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) Water Security Assets for 2026–30.