Land Access Working Group

The Land Access Working Group was established by Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson in 2008 to foster improved relationships between explorers, rural landholders and the Queensland Government.

The working group comprises representatives from AgForce, Queensland Farmers' Federation, Australian Petroleum Producers' and Explorers' Association, Queensland Resources Council, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Natural Resources and Water, Department of Mines and Energy, and the Environment Protection Agency.

The working group, which meets bi-monthly, aims to ensure that land access processes are clear, fair and reasonable to all parties.

Minister Wilson has asked the working group to consider a Code of Conduct or a similar set of principles for land access and the conduct of mining, petroleum and gas exploration activities on private land, and to consider the adequacy of the current legislative frameworks. The Department of Mines and Energy (DME) will advise the group on the implications of all relevant existing codes and issues so that workable solutions can be negotiated and developed.

The Land Access Working Group held a series of public forums in October and November 2008, to inform landholders and explorers about their rights and obligations.

In addition to the Land Access Working Group work, a number of strategies have already been put in place by the government to foster improved relationships between explorers, rural landholders and the Queensland Government. These include:

• publication of facts sheets on the DME website which explain the relevant statutory frameworks, and land access rights and obligations
• a DME community liaison officer has been employed to work directly with stakeholders in the Surat Basin
• a Toowoomba-based solicitor is providing legal aid advice to landholders on land access issues including compensation provisions.