The Protection of Prime Agricultural Land and Other Land from Coal Seam Gas Mining Bill 2013 (the Bill) was introduced to Parliament on 7 June 2013 and has now been referred to the Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee (the Committee) for examination and report. The Committee is due to provide its final report on the Bill by 9 December 2013.
The objective of the Bill is to protect prime agricultural land from coal seam gas (CSG) and mining activities to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural industry and food security in Queensland. This is said to be consistent with the Queensland Government's aim of doubling the value of agricultural production in Queensland by 2040.
The Bill seeks to specifically exclude CSG and mining activities from designated areas which have been identified as prime agricultural land, including by:
- prohibiting all coal seam gas (CSG) and exploration mining activities on land east of the Condamine River from Chinchilla to the New South Wales Border and from the Longitudinal line running directly through the Chinchilla Post Office east to the coast; and
- protecting areas of identified prime agricultural land as "potential strategic cropping land" under the Strategic Cropping Land Act 2011.
It is anticipated that the Bill will be subject to significant scrutiny and debate and we will keep you updated in this regard.
We note that interested parties are encouraged to make submissions regarding the Bill before the Committee finalises its report on 9 December 2013. Please contact Kelly Alcorn if you would like to know more about the proposed changes.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
