September 27, 2016
Resource companies will be restricted from conducting activities 200 metres from homes and 50 metres from farm infrastructure under changes which came into effect on Tuesday.
Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the changes would give landholders and miners more certainty about their rights and responsibilities near resource developments and “strike a balance between economic development and the rights of landholders and local communities”.
“The changes coming into effect from today help to modernise and simplify legislation by streamlining land access provisions that were previously spread across five different Acts,” Dr Lynham said.
“This includes protecting the right of farmers, landholders and local communities to be informed of proposed mining projects through local newspaper ads, and to have the ability to lodge an objection against a proposed mining development.
“Importantly, this is balanced against the Queensland Land Court’s powers to strike out any frivolous or vexatious objections.”
The legislation expands the restricted land framework – which previously only applied to coal and mineral mining – to all types of resources, including petroleum and gas development.
“A restricted land area can be established around buildings such as homes, hospitals and child care centres, providing landholders the right to say no to any authorised resource activities within 200 metres,” Dr Lynham said.
“The changes also enable the creation of a protection zone around key agricultural assets by allowing landholders to say no to resource activities within 50 metres of infrastructure such as principal stockyards, bores and dams.
“Landholders who are happy to opt-out of entering into a conduct and compensation agreement with a resources company undertaking activity on their land will also continue to be protected through the conditions of the Land Access Code.”
More information about the changes to Queensland’s land access framework is available on DNRM’s website
[UPDATED Originally published as “Land Access Rights Amended”]
