Ellis to introduce Private Member Land Access mining Bill

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis MP will next week introduce to the House of Assembly a Bill that he believes will strike a better balance between farming and mining of agricultural land.

“The balance between farming and mining has been a primary concern for the entirety of the time I have been in the fortunate position as the representative of our community,” Mr Ellis said.

“Having taken action on multiple occasions, including crossing the floor, trying to amend a previous bill and establishing a select committee to investigate better outcomes the introduction of my own Bill is the next step.”

The Mining (Land Access Inquiry Recommendations) Amendment Bill 2022 will be introduced on Wednesday and has been the subject of significant work to formulate an appropriate outcome.

“The Bill I am introducing is an attempt to legislate the recommendations from the multi-partisan Select Committee in the previous Parliament,” Mr Ellis said.

“That Select Committee had equal representation from the Liberal and Labor parties as well as independents which hopefully bodes well for its passage through the Parliament.

“The Bill has also been the subject of community consultation from across the State that has resulted in some minor changes.

“This is an issue which received attention before the election and which continues to need resolution.”

Mr Ellis said that it is important to be aware of the scope of the amendment and that the actual operation of mining would not be affected.

“This Bill has been formed in response to the six findings of the Select Committee that was established last year in Parliament to inquire into land access regimes specifically,” he said.

“Its scope was limited to land access and this Bill will be the same.”

Importantly, the Bill establishes a Mining Land Commissioner with various functions including to enforce exploration and rehabilitation regulations, facilitate resolutions of complaints from landowners, and administer a code of conduct for explorers.

“Not wanting this important work to amount to nothing I have drafted this Bill in an attempt to legislate the recommendations of the committee, the overall aim to provide increased support and protection for both industry and the State, about where we want to encourage mining to occur and where we want to reward existing, profitable incumbent land use”, Mr Ellis said.

“This has been an issue which I have taken up throughout my time in Parliament which has included me taking the extreme action of crossing the floor, so I am not willing to let it fade away. 

“I continue to believe that hurdles over which a prospective mining company have to jump should be higher on land that’s in use and is valuable prime agricultural, food-producing land, and additionally, that the promotion and regulation of mining in our State should be functions undertaken by two separate entities.

“I believe this Bill provides for these desired outcomes”.