The Queensland Government has opened the door for broader community input into the future of the State’s resources sector.
Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham is establishing a Community Ministerial Roundtable to give agricultural, landholder, conservation, Indigenous and community groups and local government a voice on resource issues.
“The Ministerial community roundtable is the first of its kind for this portfolio and reflects my commitment to consult with all the stakeholders involved in our sustainable development of Queensland’s resources,” Dr Lynham said.
‘The Palaszczuk Government was elected as a government that would listen and collaborate and this roundtable will give me a forum to do just that.”
Dr Lynham said one of the items on the agenda would be the community objection rights restored in Parliament last week.
“We restored rights that the LNP stripped away from landholders and members of the community,” he said.
“I will be closely monitoring how this plays out in practice so that everyone gets their day in court in a system that can continue to operate efficiently, effectively and expeditiously.
“The roundtables will give me a mechanism to work with all the stakeholders monitoring how this is operating.
“The Palaszczuk Government supports sustainable economic development of our resource sector because we want to create jobs for Queenslanders.”
Dr Lynham has also established a Ministerial Resources Roundtable, which met for the first time this week. It includes representatives from companies and peak bodies representing the mineral, coal, petroleum, gas and exploration sectors, along with government and departmental heads from Natural Resources and Mines and State Development
Its terms of reference include promoting innovation and technology adoption in the resources sector and streamlining regulatory frameworks.
Dr Lynham said he expected his community roundtable to meet for the first time in August.
“These roundtables send a clear message that this Government is committed to consultation and finding ways to continually improve how we operate to support the sustainable development of our resources sector and the jobs it can generate for Queenslanders,” he said.
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