Approvals Process

QRC works on behalf of members to address deficiencies in the approval process that may inhibit new projects or cause unreasonable delays.

QRC works across all of Queensland’s different approval pathways, which are complex, lengthy and duplicate similar Federal processes.

QRC advocates a robust yet streamlined approval process for all projects.

QRC is also working with government to ensure projects are not held up in the courts for multiple years. The post-approval process is now the most complex and uncertain aspect of the approval process for a new resource development in Queensland.

Regional Planning and Strategic Cropping

Traditionally, resources projects were not subject to planning laws, because the idea of creating zones for where future resources activities might occur did not gel with the reality of geology and exploration. So the approval process for a resources project includes a very careful consideration of the impact of the project through the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This considered a whole host of impacts – on other land uses, on the environment, on traffic, on neighbouring properties, on water, noise – the list of concerns that are considered is very extensive.

The Bligh Labor Government implemented the Strategic Cropping Land Act with the aim of protecting Queensland’s most productive soils. The Newman LNP Government replaced this Act with the Regional Planning Interests Act, which extended the protection for cropping soils as well as creating new exclusion zones for towns and environmental areas.

The interaction of the Regional Planning Interests Act with existing planning laws and the existing EIS process is highly complex. Like all stakeholders, the resources sector is still grappling to understand how all these pieces of the regulatory puzzle fit together.