The Queensland Attorney-General Deborah Frecklington’s decision to axe the Queensland Law Reform Commission’s (QLRC) review of mining objection processes just months before its report was due is disappointing and wasteful, according to the Environmental Defenders Office.
“This move devalues the importance of community input in critical assessment processes for some of the state’s most environmentally damaging projects,” said EDO Managing Lawyer in Queensland Andrew Kwan.
“We trust this does not signal that the Queensland Government is turning its back on the many farmers, regional and First Nations communities, and other Queenslanders adversely affected by mining who made submissions to the QLRC.
“The proposal for a Resources Cabinet Committee instead does not set out any role for consideration of the views of these affected Queenslanders.”
To ensure fair and accountable processes in the best interests of all Queenslanders, the Resources Cabinet Committee must commit to:
- Retaining third-party rights to seek merits reviews.
- Strengthening community input into development assessment and decision making.
- Reading all the submissions to, and analysis provided by, the QLRC.
- Releasing all proposals for public comment.
- Holding open public forums to avoid perception of mining industry capture.,
Ms Frecklington’s notification to the QLRC that she was immediately withdrawing the review of the mining objection hearing process comes nearly two years into the QLRC’s investigation, which has included several consultations with a broad range of stakeholders. The final report from the QLRC was to be delivered by 30 June 2025.
The QLRC’s review was focused on “fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of the objection processes”, among other things.
In a letter to the QLRC Chair relieving the commission of the task, the Attorney-General said the Resources Cabinet Committee would instead be considering “policies and initiatives to maintain and improve the competitiveness of Queensland’s resources sector and the value of its supply chain, including bringing forward solutions that will reduce delays and improve approval timeframes”.
Mr Kwan said: “The QLRC is to be commended for undertaking such a thorough consultation across Queensland and providing meaningful recommendations to improve the mining objection hearing process.
“The Attorney-General’s move is a shock and devalues the work of not just QLRC staff but the hundreds of community and industry stakeholders who earnestly participated in this extensive review.
“The mining objection hearing process is an essential element of accountability in our laws, providing for merits reviews that enable communities to be heard in decision-making around some of the largest development impacts our state is affected by.”
Media contact: James Tremain | 0419 272 254
