Harmonised approvals key to Qld minerals law shift

Queensland Resources Council chief executive officer Janette Hewson has welcomed State Strategic Projects law reform aimed at streamlining critical minerals project approvals and improving coordination of related infrastructure development.

The Queensland government said this week a modernised State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 would “further accelerate ventures recognised as significant to the state”.

“The amendments will allow the declaration of State Strategic Projects and new powers to assist the delivery of projects of the highest significance and priority, whilst continuing to responsibly manage their impacts,” a statement from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning said.

“Systems for planning and coordinating the provision of key enabling infrastructure for resources projects and communities, such as roads and easements for power lines and water pipelines, as well as infrastructure in State Development Areas, will also be improved.” 

Hewson said the streamlined approval pathways would put Queensland in a better position to unlock the potential of “our abundance of the critical minerals our key trading partners around the world need to power defence, vehicle electrification and the AI boom”.

“Timely approvals that get new projects to production faster are a key consideration for investors in the resources sector so this bill introduced by the government is a positive step for the industry.”

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies CEO Warren Pearce said for many critical minerals projects, particularly in regional and remote areas, access to well-coordinated infrastructure was “often the difference between a project proceeding or stalling”.

“Better planning and alignment will give greater certainty and help projects move from discovery to production faster,” Pearce said.

“These reforms recognise the importance of partnering with industry to plan and deliver infrastructure that supports both mining development and regional communities. 

“Strengthening coordination across government and prioritising enabling infrastructure will improve project timelines, reduce duplication and enhance Queensland’s attractiveness as an investment destination.”

The Queensland government said its legislative reforms would “fast-track the next wave of critical minerals and other state significant projects”, including ecotourism ventures.

“Unlocking projects to extract, process and export Queensland’s world-class critical minerals is a major priority for the Crisafulli Government as it seeks to continue strengthening the state’s economy,” it said.

Deputy premier and minister for state development, infrastructure and planning Jarrod Bleijie said Queensland was open for business and positioning as a globally preferred destination for critical minerals investment.

“Queensland has an abundance of critical minerals and we’re grabbing hold of an incredible opportunity,” Bleijie said. “A new wave of resources investment is on the way and we’re giving investors the certainty they need to get projects started sooner.”

Queensland minister for natural resources and mines Dale Last said the state’s North West Minerals Province was already home to projects such Graphinex’s Esmeralda graphite project, Vecco Group’s vanadium project and High Purity Quartz’s proposed A$550 million Sugarbag Hill quartz sand project.

Graphinex last year launched Australia’s first fully integrated graphite mine-to-anode graphite facility in Townsville with support from Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Co. Leading UK-based critical mineral research group Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said Australia could become “a new hub for flake graphite supply”, with domestic projects offering relatively low capital intensity and operating costs.

Brisbane-based Vecco, also backed by Idemitsu Kosan, has already invested more than $75 million to build a vanadium electrolyte production facility in Townsville. Idemitsu said previously its aim was to build a bigger integrated supply chain for vanadium around a new vanadium mine at Julia Creek, 650km west of Townsville, vanadium pentoxide refining and increased electrolyte production.

Queensland coordinator-general Gerard Coggan said the state was “leading the way in streamlining the processes that attract and support new critical minerals projects”.

“The state now has a regulatory framework that will provide increased support to the development of critical minerals projects and state strategic projects, as well as an improved framework for State Development Areas where businesses can capitalise on the sector’s supply chain opportunities,” he said.