Contact: Carter Newwell Lawyers (Queensland, Australia)
Proposed amendments to Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act, Mineral Resources Act and Acquisition of Land Act.
Written submissions due Wednesday 8 August.
Public briefing and public hearing on Friday 10 August.
Last Thursday the Mines Legislation (Streamlining) Amendment Bill (Bill) was introduced to Queensland parliament. The Bill proposes amendments to legislation including:
- Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004
- Petroleum Act 1923
- Mineral Resources Act 1989
- Geothermal Energy Act 2012
- Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2009
- Environmental Protection Act 1994
- Acquisition of Land Act 1967
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011
The Bill has been referred to the Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee. The Committee has invited stakeholders to provide written submissions on the Bill. The closing date for submissions is Wednesday, 8 August. Public briefing and public hearing sessions will be held on Friday, 10 August.
Key changes
Amendments proposed in the Bill are aimed at improving Queensland's investment attractiveness and making it easier to do business in Queensland.[1]
Key changes proposed by the Bill include:
- Amendments to the Acquisition of Land Act and each of the resource Acts to clarify that when land is compulsorily acquired, any overlying resource tenure is not extinguished unless that resource tenure is incompatible with the purpose of the compulsory acquisition.
- Amendments to the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act to allow CSG water and brine to be transported between off permit areas, and to allow centralised processing of CSG water.
- Amendments to the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act to allow CSG proponents to register easements in gross obtained for pipeline purposes without having public utility provider status.
- Transition from a manual, paper based system for tenure management to a faster and more transparent system utilising the MyMinesOnline system.
The Mines Legislation (Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2012, Explanatory Notes and details regarding the submission process and public briefing are available online.
