A new discussion paper has been released, outlining a suite of proposals to back genuine small-scale miners, including the ability for Queensland’s small-scale miners to continue to operate mining claims.
Proposals in the paper include:
- Small-scale miners proving they can afford, and are equipped, to mine a claim before it’s granted
- Clarifying what miners can do and what they can build on claims
- Fines for minor offences including untidy and unkempt sites
- Options for new fossicking areas
Consultation on the discussion paper is open until 24 February, and input is sought on how a transition would work for miners with existing mining claims.
Queensland Resources Minister, Scott Stewart, said mining claims would remain in the state’s mining laws and a moratorium on new claims would end as scheduled on 24 November.
“The 12-month moratorium has served its purpose and allowed government to talk to communities, landholders and small-scale miners about the best way forward,” Mr Stewart said.
“I would particularly like to acknowledge the valuable contribution that Mayor Kerry Hayes and the Central Highlands Regional Council have made throughout this process.”
Mr Stewart said a suite of possible changes from the the past 12 months’ discussions is being proposed.
“Queensland has a long history of small-scale mining, particularly for opals, sapphires and other gemstones in central and western Queensland.
“These proposals aim to back genuine miners as well as delivering for everyone else related to small-scale mining – landholders, local communities, and local businesses.
“The proposed changes also aim to address issues for local communities, such as claim holders building permanent structures and living on claims rather than mining them and holders abandoning sites, leaving them for the taxpayer to clean up.”
Queensland has almost 2000 mining claims, most of them for hand-mining, and about 14 per cent for machinery mining. About 80 per cent of all claims are in the Central Queensland gemfields.
Over the past year the Queensland Government has also been working with the Central Highlands Regional Council on the joint planning study for the Gemfields region.
Visit https://haveyoursay.resources.qld.gov.au/implement-reforms-for-small-scale-mining for more information and details on how to comment on the proposals.
