A voice for policy
The right Delivery Priorities will deliver success for Queensland Kate Dickson, Queensland Director, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies
T
he process for mineral exploration through to production mining is 'time-consuming' to say the least. It requires a fair bit of patience and even more coordination to navigate the various legislative requirements, a process made even more tricker with the number of different State departments where legislation overlaps (and in some cases contradicts) each other.
four years to achieve their specific KPI’s (Delivery Priorities). Each Minister’s Delivery Priorities are set out in the Ministerial Charter Letters. The Charter Letters are sent from the Premier to Ministers shortly after a new cabinet is formed (after an election) and when Ministers or portfolios change. This Charter Letter details the Government's commitments and priorities that the Minister is responsible for delivering through the agencies within his or her Ministerial Portfolio.
As a mining industry association, we receive feedback from members that feel that State Government departments are ‘not talking to each other’. While this can be said for any large organisation where there are differing KPI’s and stakeholder expectations for different business units (Departments/ Agencies), it can sometimes feel more overwhelming because of two things: the sheer volume of access points the State Government has, and that different Ministers have different KPI’s.
In this situation, the mining and exploration industry are the ‘frustrated customers’, and the best economic and environmental outcomes for the State and industry are not achieved.
One of the big differences between a typical corporation and a State Government like Queensland, is that the CEO (Premier) and the Executive Management Team (the Ministers) have
When an organisation and people within an organisation have misaligned goals, it becomes difficult to get things done, employees are less productive, customers get frustrated, and achieving the best possible outcome becomes more out of reach.
From the outside, it appears that the main State departments our industry work with don’t seem to be ‘talking to each other’. And when we look at their Delivery Priorities, the priorities across departments are almost completely different. Naturally, this is frustrating when, as an industry association, one of our primary advocacy goals is to cut red tape and streamline processes. In Queensland, the Minister for Environment and the Minister for Resources currently only have two
shared Delivery Priorities. They are: • Continue to implement the Government’s reforms to mine rehabilitation and financial assurance; and • Work with the Minister for Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships to support the implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, including the development of a jurisdictional implementation plan in a co-design approach with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and their representatives. The Delivery Priorities are not structured in a way that improves sustainable development of mining projects, with the only focus being on rehabilitation and financial assurance. This does nothing to help Queensland develop and expand sustainable and ethical mines to deliver the minerals needed for the Environment Minister’s top Delivery Priorities, which are: • Continue to lead implementation of the Queensland Government’s Climate Adaptation Strategy and Climate Transition Strategy; and • Oversee the development of the Climate Action Plan 2020−2030, through consultation with industry and community, and generate actions to reduce emissions and increase sustainability initiatives. With climate change policy taking front and centre stage at the State, Federal
BBMC Yearbook 2021
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