Committee Details

Committee's report

The committee tabled its report on 18 April 2019. The Bill was passed with amendments by the Queensland Parliament on 15 May 2019.

About the Bill

On 26 February 2019 the Natural Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 was introduced into the Queensland Parliament.  The Bill was referred to the State Development, Natural Resources and Agricultural Industry Development Committee for detailed consideration.  

The explanatory notes state that the policy objectives of the Bill are to improve administrative efficiency and ensure regulatory frameworks within the Natural Resources, Mines and Energy portfolio remain effective and responsive; enhance the water compliance frameworks; and implement measures to improve performance of the resources tenure management system. Specifically the Bill:

• amends the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 and the Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991 to reduce the regulatory burden and clarify the interpretation and application of these Acts.
• amends the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Holding Act 2013 to provide a more efficient process for the transmission of leases where the original lessee dies intestate (without a will) and to extend the statutory review period of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Holding Act 2013 from five to ten years.
• removes the requirement to create and table an annual report on foreign ownership under the Foreign Ownership of Land Register Act 1988.
• amends the Land Act 1994 to improve administrative efficiency and reduce the regulatory burden. The amendments provide an effective mechanism to facilitate the resolution of disputes between leaseholders and sublessees; ensure access to inaccessible State land; close roads; and transfer certain administrative approvals from the Minister to the chief executive.
• amends the Land Title Act 1994, corresponding provisions of the Land Act 1994 and the Land Title Regulation 2015 to facilitate operational improvements and streamline and clarify processes.
• clarifies administrative arrangements and disciplinary processes to improve the operation of the Surveyors Act 2003, Surveyors Regulation 2014 and the Surveyors Board of Queensland.
• amends the Mineral Resources Act 1989 and the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 to implement measures to continue to improve performance of the resources tenure management system and correct minor errors.
• amends the resource Acts to correct errors, clarify the application of provisions and improve the administration of the Acts.
• amends water legislation to improve operational efficiency, strengthen compliance and enforcement provisions; ensure consistency with local government infrastructure charging notices; facilitate balanced gender representation on category 2 water authority boards and modernise the selection and appointment process for directors; reduce regulatory burden; and clarify the application of a number of provisions applying to category 1 and category 2 water authority boards.
• amends the Right to Information Act 2009 and the Electricity Act 1994 to support the establishment of a new clean energy generation government owned corporation.

Timeline