In response to the 15th annual 2025 Queensland Exploration Scorecard, Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive officer Janette Hewson emphasised the sector’s fundamental importance and pointed to signs of optimism.
“Exploration holds the key to the future success of Queensland’s resources sector and its ability to deliver new jobs and contribute to our state’s economic prosperity,” Hewson said.
“There are some encouraging signs of improved industry sentiment in the 15th edition of the QEC Scorecard, which is an indication that explorers are seeing positive signals from the new Queensland Government.
“At a state level, many explorers have reported improved departmental assistance, land available for exploration and approvals through the Resources Cabinet Committee.”
The scorecard, released by the Queensland Exploration Council (QEC) and the QRC, stated that Queensland’s “resource prospectivity” remains its top-rated asset.
Explorers also highly value the pre-competitive geoscience data provided by the Geological Survey of Queensland, with 44 per cent of explorers expecting to increase their spending in the next year.
Despite these positive signs, however, Hewson acknowledged that ongoing issues remain.
“Greenshoots in sentiment are appearing, but there are still significant issues with complex and overlapping policies for approvals between the state and commonwealth governments, as well as excessive regulation across the board,” Hewson said.
The report found that while Queensland’s resources sector is resilient, it is “at a crossroads”. It reveals that the industry is “under sustained pressure” despite its strong fundamentals and world-class geological potential.
Key challenges highlighted include a sharp 14.6 per cent fall in total exploration expenditure, a “cautious investment climate”, and complex regulatory hurdles. The report specifically notes that sentiment on environmental regulations is the worst it has been in the scorecard’s 15-year history.
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