Queensland resources sector welcomes coordinated approvals process

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes recent announcements by the Queensland Government, which signal a clear shift toward faster, more coordinated approvals across government.

In late 2024, the QRC released an extensive report on government processes for resources approvals, with 20 recommendations for improvement including the Resources Cabinet Committee and a lead agency for coordinating approvals.

QRC Chief Executive Officer Janette Hewson said the newly announced Cross Agency Assessment Team (CAAT) led by the Coordinator General aligns with QRC priorities.

“These initiatives reflect many of the reforms QRC has consistently called for, including improved whole‑of‑government coordination, earlier infrastructure planning, reduced duplication between agencies, and more efficient decision‑making for major projects of State and national significance,” Ms Hewson said.

“The use of Coordinator General–led pathways and dedicated approvals teams recognises that delays in getting new resources projects to production are often driven by unnecessary red tape rather than environmental standards.

“For too long, the approvals process has been delayed by fragmented and overlapping responsibilities and duplicated assessments across different government departments.

“These announcements are an important step forward for Queensland, which means projects like Taroom Trough that are critical to our energy security can come online sooner.

“The key now will be ensuring these reforms are embedded across the approvals system more broadly – not just for one project – to restore investor confidence and deliver timely outcomes for Queenslanders.

“QRC also calls on the Federal Government to work with the Queensland Government to remove duplication and streamline the approvals process to bring important resources projects like Taroom into operation faster.”

Media Contact:

Matt Dunstan – [email protected]