Leaseholders to benefit from more land reforms

There will be greater opportunities for local and regional development, economic prosperity will be built and thriving communities promoted after the launch of the second phase of the most significant review of Queensland’s state land in more than a century.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said state land supported every one of the Queensland Government’s economic pillars – agriculture, resources, tourism and construction.

“State Land is important to Queensland families through its many and varied uses, so we need to consider how to best manage it to strengthen our state’s economic future and meet the needs of a modern Queensland,” Mr Cripps said.

“The Land Act 1994 is Labor’s outdated, inconsistent and overly complex legislation that controls the management and administration of state land in Queensland.

“We have released a discussion paper and want to hear from Queenslanders and capture their ideas on shaping the future management and use of state land.

“Feedback from the community and other key groups will assist us in developing a new direction and simpler approach to how state land is managed and administered in Queensland.

“This review is part of our strong plan for Queensland’s future and delivers on our election promise to grow the four pillar economy.”

Assistant Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Seath Holswich, who will lead the consultation, said state land comprised about 126 million hectares or approximately 73 per cent of Queensland’s land area and played a key role in the lives of many Queenslanders.

“State land  comprises leasehold land, state forests, and land managed for broader community purposes such as community reserves, stock routes and local roads,” Mr Holswich said.

“It also ranges in location from the large areas of grazing land in far western Queensland, the gulf country and Cape York to land in highly urbanised areas of towns and cities.

“We’ve already passed landmark legislation to provide security of tenure to rural leaseholders, better pathways to freehold and rein in rural rents that Labor allowed to spiral out of control.

“The reforms also removed archaic restrictions on individuals and corporations holding certain rural state land and reduced red-tape rural and island tourism lessees to renew their leases.”

The Queensland State Land – strengthening our economic future discussion paper marks the start of a wide-reaching review focussed on a range of land reform issues.

It promotes three opportunities for state land reform, which are:

• improving investment certainty for business and residential leaseholders of state land and providing them with greater flexibility to allow the leased land to be used by third parties;
• providing greater flexibility to local government as managers of state land, specifically roads, stock routes and reserves;
• streamlining government administration of state land, reducing red tape and simplifying regulation for landholders and other users of state land.

Submissions on issues outlined in the discussion paper close on 31 August 2014.

The discussion paper is available at http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/our-department/policies-initiatives/state-land-initiatives/future-state-land, or by phoning 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

Online submissions are encouraged but written submissions can also be posted, faxed or emailed.

Email address: statelandenquiries@dnrm.qld.gov.au

Postal address:

State Land Reforms
Department of Natural Resources and Mines
PO Box 15216
City East Qld 4002

[ENDS] 10 June 2014

Media contact:  Kate Haddan 0418 373 516 or Eleisha Rogers 0413 375 088