Minerals stoush continues

Michael Roche

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AS mineral exploration in settled areas continues to be a major divisive issue in Queensland, a new State Government compromise seems to have left both sides moderately unhappy.

The rural lobby group AgForce says the government’s new ban on mining exploration in urban areas is unfair to farmers and smaller towns.

And the state’s peak resources sector body, the Queensland Resources Council, says protections already exist and the new laws are unfair to explorers already involved in activities in affected areas.

The State Government says it will introduce laws requiring a 2km buffer zone around towns of 1000 people or more.

AgForce says this does not help farmers at their homesteads, even though their suffering would be just as significant as that of any individuals affected by exploration in more heavily developed areas.

“And plenty of Queenslanders live in towns of less than 1000,” AgForce chief executive Robert Walker says.

He says little people and little communities will be treated differently under the upcoming rules.

“It is okay to have an exclusion zone of 2km around a town, but a farmer can have a coal seam gas well 100m from his front door.”

Resources council chief executive Michael Roche said there were legitimate concerns about exploration permits covering urban and more closely settled areas, but these were often already protected, under existing legislation.