Mineral and Energy Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
Referred to Clean Energy Jobs, Resources and Transport Committee
That the amendment be agreed to
Vote on government amendments to both bills, including the ban on carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin and removal of the CSG induced subsidence framework for further consultation. The amendments passed 49-38.
The motion passed.
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Ayes (49)
Noes (38)
Vote on a motion
Party VoteProcedural vote that appears to have been related to an earlier motion in the debate. Recorded as negative with 0-0 count, suggesting a voice vote or procedural matter.
The motion was rejected.
A formal vote on whether to accept a proposal — this could be the bill itself, an amendment, or another motion.
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This was a party vote. Each party's Whip declared how their members voted without a physical count, so individual votes were not recorded. Party votes are used when all members of a party are expected to vote the same way.
That the motion, as amended, be agreed to
Final vote on the amended motion, which incorporated the government's amendments including the Great Artesian Basin protections. Passed 49-38 with government and crossbench support.
The motion passed.
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Ayes (49)
Noes (38)
▸22 members spoke10 support12 mixed
As the Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals, introduced and moved both bills. Announced the withdrawal of the CSG subsidence framework for further consultation and moved amendments to ban carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin.
“I firmly believe the approach taken in this framework is a good one. It moves towards a balanced approach that recognises the valuable contribution these industries make to Queensland, while ensuring detrimental impacts to agricultural land are addressed.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As shadow environment minister, supported the ban on carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin but criticised the rushed process and lack of consultation on the amendments.
“The LNP has never supported carbon capture storage or greenhouse gas storage projects in the Great Artesian Basin. We have long raised concerns about the potential impacts these projects could have on our domestic and agricultural water supplies and on our environment.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As shadow minister for resources, criticised the lack of consultation and the late amendments but indicated the LNP would not oppose the bills. Welcomed the withdrawal of the subsidence provisions and supports the ban on carbon capture in the Great Artesian Basin.
“While the LNP will not oppose this bill, I will highlight the areas where we believe the government could do better because, by doing it better, we make our mines safer and move toward the goal of ensuring no other names are added to the memorial in Moranbah.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs, supported the coexistence framework reforms and the ban on carbon capture storage in the Great Artesian Basin. Emphasised the government's commitment to partnering with regional communities.
“The Miles Labor government has been very clear in terms of the reforms it has brought into this place. We want to ensure that regional Queensland communities are at the heart of a coordinated energy transformation and that they are partners in this transformation.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As committee member, thanked stakeholders and supported both bills. Acknowledged the complexity of the subsidence issue and thanked the minister for taking on board the committee's recommendations.
“I thank the minister for taking on board the committee's recommendations because it will be important to have further and deeper engagement with stakeholders to try and find where those twains shall meet.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As Premier, strongly supported the ban on carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin, citing community, farmer and environmental concerns. Emphasised the government's commitment to protecting Queensland's natural heritage.
“I have been clear to everyone who asks. I think injecting carbon dioxide into the Great Artesian Basin is a bad idea... It simply is not worth disrupting all of these lives and livelihoods. It is not worth the risk to a great natural asset of Queensland.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery and Minister for Corrective Services, supported the bills and explained the amendments to validate Parole Board appointments due to administrative errors in appointments from 2017 to 2024.
“This was an administrative error that is being dealt with swiftly and appropriately. No prisoners will be released in response to this issue.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Criticised the lack of meaningful consultation and rushed process. Highlighted concerns from agricultural stakeholders about coexistence with CSG and the limited rights of landholders.
“Concerningly, after almost 10 years, the recurring theme is that the government fails to conduct meaningful consultation, bills are rushed, the government avoids conducting any analysis of the impacts and financial implications, legislation is confusing and unclear.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Strongly criticised the minister and government for poor consultation and the shambolic process around the subsidence framework. Welcomed its withdrawal but called for an apology to affected landowners and small miners.
“The surprise is not that this shemozzle had to be withdrawn from the bill; it is that it was ever included in the first place. The minister should be aware of how much time and effort to which submitters went in order to respond in the short timeframe for this proposed legislation.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water, strongly supported the ban on carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin. Criticised the LNP for hypocrisy on the issue.
“I was so proud to stand with the Premier recently to announce that the Miles Labor government would ban carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin. I know it means a lot to a lot of people. This policy is certainly nation leading.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Defended the collaborative committee process and praised the government for listening to stakeholders by removing the subsidence provisions. Highlighted the importance of worker safety reforms.
“The bill itself is not what is causing the trauma for those on agricultural lands; it is the actual issue and as a government we were addressing the issue.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Claimed the government was adopting LNP policies on banning carbon capture in the GAB and expanding the GasFields Commission. Thanked the minister for listening to farmers but criticised the rushed cognate legislation process.
“Welcome to catching up to the LNP. Once again this old/new Labor government is actually embracing LNP policy.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Criticised the government's failure to consult on CSG induced subsidence which has been known about for nearly 20 years. Raised concerns about the lack of tripartite working groups on mine safety and confusion around SSE requirements.
“New South Wales has been conducting reviews and talking about coal seam gas induced subsidence since 2013. This has been a known problem for nearly 20 years. It is 2024 and the government is finally talking about it.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Expressed frustration at the rushed process and late amendments. Was one of the first to call out the carbon capture project near Moonie. Supported the ban but criticised the lack of consultation and bypassing of committee processes.
“The LNP has never supported carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin. I was one of the first to call out the project near Moonie on EPQ10, which is in a large area of my electorate.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Spoke in favour of both bills, emphasising the government's commitment to coexistence frameworks, First Nations partnerships, worker safety and regulatory efficiency under the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan.
“This is what is important and what we should be talking about... By clarifying the roles and responsibilities of these institutions and improving the quality of service provided to government, industry and the community, we are setting a robust framework for the future.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Strongly supported protecting the Great Artesian Basin from carbon capture. Criticised the government for not acting sooner when he asked the Premier directly on 17 April. Also advocated for better consultation with small miners and fossickers.
“To give members an understanding, to us the Great Artesian Basin is like the Great Barrier Reef is to the people on the east coast. That is how important it is to us.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
As committee member, thanked the minister for removing the subsidence issue but criticised the lack of consultation and rushed timeframe. Strongly advocated for tripartite working groups on safety regulation.
“I would encourage the minister to support a tripartite working group for safety regulation. It should be something that is done openly, transparently and frequently so that Queensland can lead the way in the resources industry worldwide.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Spoke for cotton producers in his electorate concerned about coexistence with coal seam gas, particularly regarding laser-level paddocks and subsidence. Strongly supported the ban on carbon sequestration in the Great Artesian Basin.
“Cotton Australia said in their submission—and I see eye to eye with them on this—that coexistence between them and coal seam gas is a very long bow to draw because if the two industries are to coexist side by side, whose interests are going to give way to whose?”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Criticised the cognate debate format, lack of consultation and the government's approach to 'coexistence' which he argued favours the resources industry over landholders. Supported the safety reforms and the ban on carbon capture in the Great Artesian Basin.
“As Cotton Australia said in their submission, coexistence can't be mandated. What the Labor Party champions, including in this bill, is hardly sustainable coexistence.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Strongly supported both bills, particularly the safety reforms. Rebutted LNP claims about lack of tripartite consultation, noting the Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee had been consulted three times.
“There is a Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee. It consists of representatives of industry, workers and the regulators and it is chaired by the RSH commissioner. All of the matters in these bills that pertain to safety have been to that committee for tripartite discussion.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Welcomed the ban on carbon capture in the Great Artesian Basin as one of the first positive things from Labor for agriculture. However, criticised the government's broader treatment of agriculture and raised concerns about FIFO workforce impacts on mine safety.
“Contract workforce and FIFO are directly correlated with some safety risks and I will not be convinced otherwise. If there is a permanent workforce—and I have spoken to a number of mine managers about this—there can be problems. However, I will tell honourable members any day of the week that it will result in a better safety record.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Drew on his mining background to support the safety reforms. Strongly supported the ban on carbon capture in the Great Artesian Basin. Emphasised the importance of permanent workforces for mine safety.
“The thought of allowing a company like Glencore, a global commodity trader, to dump their industrial waste into the Great Artesian Basin to try to save them on some carbon issues—I cannot believe we have reached the point where we have to legislate against this.”— 2024-06-12View Hansard
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill reforms how Queensland manages the interaction between its resources industry and agricultural landholders. It creates a new framework to protect farmers from coal seam gas subsidence, expands dispute resolution services, modernises the mining rehabilitation insurance scheme, and streamlines regulatory processes across multiple resources laws.
Who it affects
Farmers in coal seam gas regions gain new protections against land subsidence, while gas companies face new assessment and compensation obligations. Mining companies with smaller rehabilitation costs get reduced compliance burdens, and the broader resources sector benefits from streamlined regulations.
Coal seam gas subsidence protections
Creates a comprehensive framework to identify, assess and manage the impacts of ground subsidence caused by coal seam gas extraction on agricultural land. Gas companies must fund assessments, enter management plans with affected landholders, and compensate for impacts.
- Minister can declare 'subsidence management areas' where the framework applies
- OGIA produces subsidence impact reports categorising land by risk level (A, B, or C)
- Gas companies must conduct farm field assessments on high-risk Category A land
- Landholders can negotiate subsidence management plans or opt out
- New 'critical consequence' test allows Minister to direct companies to take action when impacts threaten farm viability
- Gas companies cannot produce from new wells on high-risk land until assessments complete
Coexistence institutions reform
Renames the GasFields Commission to 'Coexistence Queensland' and expands its remit beyond gas to cover all resources and renewable energy. The Land Access Ombudsman gains broader dispute resolution powers and becomes an industry-funded statutory body.
- GasFields Commission becomes 'Coexistence Queensland' covering all resources and renewables
- Land Access Ombudsman can now resolve disputes about subsidence plans and access agreements
- OGIA gains new functions for subsidence assessment and monitoring
- New advisory council established to oversee Land Access Ombudsman
Mining rehabilitation scheme changes
Modernises the Financial Provisioning Scheme that manages rehabilitation obligations for mining sites. Reduces compliance burden for smaller operations while maintaining protections against companies defaulting on rehabilitation.
- Risk assessment threshold raised from $100,000 to $10 million estimated rehabilitation cost
- New 'Moderate-High' risk category added between Moderate and High
- Companies with excellent credit ratings get higher fund thresholds ($600 million)
- Companies with multiple environmental authorities can align assessment dates
- Abandoned petroleum and gas sites now eligible for rehabilitation grants
Regulatory efficiency improvements
Streamlines processes across multiple resources Acts to reduce administrative burden while maintaining appropriate oversight.
- Aerial surveys at 1000ft or above exempt from entry notices and periodic reports
- Clearer confidentiality periods for exploration data
- New mandatory condition requiring mining lease holders to keep sites tidy
- Minister gains power to defer rent or approve alternative calculations during emergencies
- Improved development plan requirements for petroleum leases