Landmark regional planning legislation introduced

Published Thursday, 21 November, 2013 at 01:46 PM

Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Jeff Seeney

Regional Queenslanders will benefit from clearer, common sense planning for growth under the new Regional Planning Interests Bill introduced into State Parliament this week.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Planning and Infrastructure Jeff Seeney said the Regional Planning Interests Bill 2013 demonstrated the Newman Government’s practical approach to land use planning across Queensland’s regions.

“This Bill will deliver on a promise made by the Newman Government to fix Labor’s hap-hazard approach to community planning,” Mr Seeney said.

“We committed to ease land use conflicts in regional Queensland, particularly between important resource projects and existing agricultural land uses and that’s exactly what this Bill will do.

“It recognises and protects strategic environmental, agricultural and other land uses and provides a framework for successful co-existence between new and existing industries.

“Central to the Bill are new-generation Statutory Regional Plans that promise to deliver diverse and prosperous economic futures for our regions.”

Mr Seeney said the legislation’s main focus will be to manage the impact of resource activities on areas of Queensland identified in the Bill as an area of regional interest.

“An area of regional interest is an area that contributes, or is likely to contribute, to Queensland’s economic, social and environmental prosperity,” he said.

“Four types of area of regional interest are included in the Bill — priority agricultural areas, priority living areas, strategic environmental areas and strategic cropping areas.

“Under the proposed Act, a resource activity, and other identified activities, cannot occur in these areas unless a regional interest authority has been given for the activity."

Mr Seeney said the Regional Planning Interests Bill was needed to fix a number of different pieces of legislation that were introduced by the former government.

“Quite frankly, the haphazard hodge-podge of bits and pieces of legislation that the former government brought in was a dog’s dinner,” he said.

“This includes the Wild Rivers and the Strategic Cropping Land (SCL) Legislation, which are essentially planning instruments that introduced land use controls, yet they were carried out in a disconnected and unplanned way.

“The Regional Planning Interests Bill brings these haphazard works together in a single piece of legislation that recognises and protects the state’s strategic environmental, agricultural and other land uses.

“It will repeal the SCL Act upon commencement.

“The reforms initiated through the Bill follow more than 18 months of consultation with the agricultural sector, landholders, resources sector, local government, business and community groups.

“I’m confident that through this legislation we can better manage the impact of resource activities on areas identified as regional interests, and ultimately create a more sustainable and prosperous Queensland.”

[ENDS] 21 November 2013

Media Contact:  Jane Paterson 0417 281 754 or Elizabeth Spry 0418 928 744