The right Delivery Priorities will deliver success for Queensland

Kate Dickson, Queensland Director, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies

The 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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. 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 and international level, there seems to be general acceptance that renewables, batteries and electrification will be the most effective way to reduce emissions. We have almost all the minerals required to do this here in Queensland.

But getting the environmental approvals to mine the minerals for these is made increasingly difficult by these conflicting and competing Delivery Priorities. This problem isn’t just limited to exploration, and can often be seen with companies looking to re-open or repurpose old mines - companies trying to develop already-disturbed historic sites are met with unreasonable conditions by the Environmental Authority.

Insufficient conditions were placed on previous authority holders, and new developers have been encumbered with the sins of the previous holders. The best outcome for the environment, the State and the resource company would be for the new holders to be given the opportunity to rehabilitate and develop these assets, instead of them continuing to be a financial and environmental burden on the State.

The Abandoned Mines Unit in the Department of Resources has been doing challenging work over the last few years to change the legislation to help make these sorts of developments possible under the Minerals Resources Act, but the main hurdle now seems to be getting the Environment Authority from the Department of Environment and Science. However, because there isn’t a Delivery Priority for the Environment Minister to help supply the minerals needed to achieve the Queensland Government Renewable Energy Target, this becomes increasingly difficult.

Cross-department collaboration could increase efficiency for all stakeholders and place Queensland as the top mining jurisdiction for Australia. We also could be an example for other jurisdictions to show what can happen when the ‘Management Team’ think about the big picture, rather than their individual Delivery Priorities.

It’s often said that coming together is a beginning, keeping together is a progress, and working together is a success.

As an industry association, AMEC will continue working with all the key stakeholders to try and communicate the development challenges companies are experiencing and proposing practical solutions. Getting Government departments on the same page and working towards complementing Delivery Priorities will not only help our industry to develop new projects and keep others moving forward, but is also in the best interest of the Government, the environment and the people who live here. 