The Queensland government has introduced legislation to overhaul the state’s mining lease approval framework, introducing measures aimed at ending environmental lawfare and eliminating regulatory delays for resource projects.
The Mineral Resources Objections Reform and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, targets double-handling in environmental assessments and restricts who can lodge legal objections against mining leases.
Under the proposed reforms, standing to object to a mining lease will be strictly limited to directly affected entities, including local landholders, local councils, or parties located within a 125-kilometre radius of the project boundary.
The legislation also replaces the automatic referral of lease objections to the Land Court with a ministerial referral process, reserving judicial reviews for cases deemed to warrant formal hearings.
To further streamline processing timelines, the bill eliminates duplicate environmental assessments. Environmental impacts and associated objections will now be evaluated solely through the Environmental Authority application, which must be fully granted before a mining lease application can proceed.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the overhaul would prevent activist groups from abusing legal processes to delay major infrastructure investments and regional employment opportunities.
“This reform will put an end to the madness that saw objections from activists automatically referred to the Land Court leaving projects in limbo for years with Queensland jobs hanging in the balance,” Last said.
He emphasised that high environmental standards would be maintained while providing operational certainty to the resources sector, describing mining as the backbone of Queensland’s regional economy.
Peak industry body the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) welcomed the legislative package. AMEC CEO Warren Pearce noted that while legitimate community concerns must be addressed, streamlined timelines are vital to preventing capital flight and turning Queensland’s mineral resources into operating projects.
“Queensland has enormous resource potential, but projects need an approvals system that is efficient and focused on resolving genuine issues rather than creating unnecessary delay,” Pearce said.
The state government expects the reduced administrative burden to accelerate project commencements across regional mining hubs while safeguarding environmental compliance requirements.
