Tenure Types

Queensland's Mineral Resources Act 1989 provides the legislative framework for exploration, development and mining tenure in the state.  The types of mining tenements that are granted and administered under this Act are as follows:

•  Prospecting permit,
•  Exploration permit,
•  Mineral development licence,
•  Mining claim,
•  Mining lease.

The grant or administration of an authority to prospect or petroleum lease is subject to the provisions of the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004. or the Petroleum Act 1923.  All other petroleum authorities are granted and administered pursuant to the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004.  These are as follows:

•  Data acquisition authority,
•  Petroleum survey licence,
•  Pipeline licence,
•  Petroleum facility licence, and
•  Water monitoring authority.

Exploration for geothermal energy is carried out under the Geothermal Exploration Act 2004, via a geothermal exploration permit.

Minerals

Prospecting permit

A prospecting permit entitles the holder to prospect for and/or hand-mine for minerals (excluding coal) and/or peg a mining lease or mining claim on the available land specified.

There are two types of prospecting permit:

• a parcel prospecting permit can be granted for a particular parcel for a term of three months
  
• a district prospecting permit:
         can be granted for all available land within a mining district for a term of 1-12 months
         is subject to the holder obtaining the written consent of the land owner for access to occupied land.

Prospecting permit forms
Prospecting permit forms (Native title provisions)

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency website  for relevant environmental authority forms.

Exploration permit
Different exploration permits are required for minerals and for coal.

An exploration permit:

• is issued for the purpose of exploration
• allows the holder to take action to determine the existence, quality and quantity of minerals on, in or under land by methods which include prospecting, geophysical surveys, drilling, and sampling and testing of materials to determine mineral bearing capacity or properties of mineralisation
• may eventually lead to an application for a mineral development licence or mining lease
• can be granted for a period of up to five years
• can be renewed.

Exploration permit forms
Exploration permit forms (Native title provisions)

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency website  for relevant environmental authority forms.

Mineral development licence

A mineral development licence:

• allows the holder to undertake geoscientific programs (e.g. drilling, seismic surveys), mining feasibility studies, metallurgical testing and marketing, environmental, engineering and design studies to evaluate the development potential of the defined resource 
• can be granted to the holder of an exploration permit for a period of up to five years where there is a significant mineral occurrence of possible economic potential
• can be renewed.

Mineral development licence forms
Mineral development licence forms (Native title provisions)

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency website  for relevant environmental authority forms.

Mining claim

A person can hold or have an interest in a maximum of two mining claims at any one time. A mining claim:

• is granted to holders of prospecting permits to carry out small-scale operations with limited use of machinery
• can be up to one hectare in area
• entitles the holder to prospect and hand-mine for specified minerals.
• must have an initial term not exceeding ten years
• is granted for minerals other than coal.

Mining claim forms
Mining claim forms (Native title provisions)

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency website  for relevant environmental authority forms.

Mining lease

A mining lease:

• is granted for mining operations
• entitles the holder to machine-mine specified minerals and carry out activities associated with mining or promoting the activity of mining
• is not restricted to a maximum term—this is determined in accordance with the amount of reserves identified and the projected mine life. 
• can be granted for those minerals specified in either the prospecting permit, exploration permit or mineral development licence held prior to the grant of the lease.  

The Act does not specifically define the area or shape of land that can be granted under a lease although these must be justifiable.

Mining lease forms
Mining lease forms (Native Title Provisions)

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency web site  for relevant environmental authority forms.

Petroleum tenures

How to explore for, produce, transport or process petroleum in Queensland.

The following lists all petroleum authorities that may be applied for or granted under the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004.

The petroleum exploration and production authorities include:

• authority to prospect (authority required for petroleum exploration), including a potential commercial area

• petroleum lease (authority required for petroleum production).

Other petroleum authorities

• data acquisition authority (authority required to allow for a geophysical survey to extend beyond the boundaries of an authority to prospect or petroleum lease)

• petroleum survey licence (authority required to enter lands to survey the proposed route of pipeline or the suitability of land for a petroleum facility licence)

• pipeline licence and part 5 permission (a pipeline licence is the authority required to construct and operate a pipeline; Part 5 permission relates to the acquisition of pipeline land)

• petroleum facility licence and part 5 permission (a petroleum facility licence is the authority required to construct and operate a petroleum facility; a part 5 permission relates to the acquisition of petroleum facility land)

• water monitoring authority (authority to assess 'make good obligations' related to water use).

Petroleum lease - Petroleum Act 1923

• In certain circumstances, a petroleum lease may be applied for or granted pursuant to the Petroleum Act 1923. This type of petroleum lease is often referred to as a 1923 Act petroleum lease. Note that a 1923 Act petroleum lease may only be applied for or granted to the holder of an authority to prospect administered pursuant to the Petroleum Act 1923. All new applications for an authority to prospect may only be granted under Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004.

Application details - all petroleum authorities

• information about application details for petroleum authorities.

Native title and environmental issues

• information with regard to native title and environmental issues.

Reporting requirements

• information in relation to reporting requirements.

Geothermal exploration permit

• Under the Geothermal Exploration Act 2004, a geothermal exploration permit can only be granted through a call for tenders process. The Act also provides the administrative framework to enable efficient regulation of this exploration activity.
• A geothermal exploration permit may only be granted in compliance with the provisions in the Act for a competitive tender. The land which is the subject of a call for tenders is described as the "tender release area"
• A geothermal exploration permit may be granted for a term of up to 5 years.

QDEX

Reports submitted by exploration permit holders are kept confidential for the duration of the tenure, and then released to the general public.

Reports covering the last 50 years are available on the QDEX digital document management system.

Further information

For further tenures information and services, contact one of our Mines regional and district offices, which are strategically located throughout the state.

Spatial tenure data is also available from Queensland Mines and Energy's Interactive Resource and Tenure Maps (updated daily).

 

Last Updated 23 July 2009