The Queensland Government has passed legislation in Parliament to support the critical minerals sector and other ‘major’ projects.
The State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 intends to secure critical minerals investment, create more jobs, and also grow the economy for regional and rural Queensland.
New legislation will provide the government with the tools needed to facilitate major projects, positioning the state to compete for global investment targeting critical minerals supply chains.
The declaration of a State Strategic Project under the reforms intends to streamline the approvals process, but without automatically approving projects or removing existing requirements.
The legislation also highlights the retention of safeguards for access authorities, including landholder consultation, notice requirements, compensation, and rectification provisions.
Modification orders will not be able to remove key authorisations, including environmental authorities, mining leases, development approvals, cultural heritage management plans, or regional interests development approvals (RIDAs) where required.
The new legislation comes ahead of Queensland Premier David Crisafulli’s trade mission to the US, which will focus on attracting global investment for Queensland’s critical minerals sector.
Earlier this month, the Queensland Government also launched its Queensland–Latin America Trade and Investment Strategy 2026–28, targeting strengthened mining, energy, agriculture, and education ties.
Queensland has been on a broader critical minerals mission, with the government presenting its ‘Delivering Queensland’s Critical Minerals Future 2026–30’ strategy as the state pushes to be a globally recognised supplier of critical minerals.
Mining plays a major role in supporting Queensland’s economy, particularly in the critical minerals space.
At least 10 of Australia’s critical minerals can be found in Queensland, such as vanadium, cobalt, titanium, graphite, and tungsten.
In the 2026–27 State Budget, the Queensland Government committed an additional $146 million to support and accelerate critical minerals projects.
Alongside critical minerals, the state is also highly prospective for coal, gold, copper, and zinc.
Regarding the legislation, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, and Planning Jarrod Bleijie says the government is backing Queensland’s critical minerals sector and regional communities while balancing development and agriculture and protecting landholders.
“Queensland has an extraordinary opportunity to become a global leader in critical minerals, and the Crisafulli Government is determined to seize that opportunity for the benefit of all Queenslanders,” Bleijie says.
“This legislation gives us the tools to attract investment, create jobs, and build new industries, particularly in rural and regional Queensland where the benefits of critical minerals development can be transformational.
“We back our resources sector, we back regional Queensland, and we back the farmers and agricultural communities that are such an important part of our state.
“We have worked closely with key stakeholders throughout the development of these reforms and listened to their feedback through the parliamentary process.”
Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) CEO Kylie Porter says farmers in the state welcome the passage of the amended legislation.
“QFF recognises that critical minerals projects offer a tremendous opportunity for the regions in terms of job creation and investment attraction,” Porter says.
“By retaining the RIDA as a protected instrument for our state’s strategic cropping and prime agricultural land, the Queensland Government has listened to farmers and shown that it will not be sacrificing our state’s best farming land for other uses.”
Queensland Resources Council (QRC) CEO Janette Hewson says the legislation will “provide momentum for Queensland’s emerging critical minerals industry”.
“In combination with the Government’s critical minerals strategy, the bill is a welcome step forward, particularly its commitment to coordinated industry development, faster approvals, common user infrastructure, and a $250 million critical minerals fund,” Hewson says.
“These initiatives will help position Queensland at a time when we are competing with other states and countries around the world for critical minerals investment.”
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Queensland Government
