NSW Opposition promises tougher scrutiny for exploration licenses

Shadow Minister for Primary Industries Duncan Gay announced the strategic land use policy today. "Ahead of the granting of an exploration license, strategic land use planning is the process that will be used to identify and define land use priorities for different areas of land within a region," he said.

The NSW Liberals and Nationals statement said its policy is based on a triple bottom line of environmental, social and economic values. A key element of the strategy will focus on protecting agricultural land and associated water resources from the impacts of mining developments.

The statement said its policy is in response to increasing land use conflict, spurred by a rise in industrial activity, which has been compounded by a lack of planning by NSW Labor. Miners seeking an exploration license will be required to provide an agricultural impact assessment.

Strategic land use plans will subject major projects to greater scrutiny during assessment and approval processes and an independent section for agricultural sustainability and food security will be established within the new Department of Primary Industries.

All major fees in relation to mining projects will only be paid after approval has been granted. Fees will be paid on a predetermined schedule based on the tonnage of the mine.

The Coalition said it would take “any useful outcomes” from Labor’s current Coal and Gas Strategy scoping paper and community consultations.

Following its election, the Coalition said it would introduce a period of tougher assessment during the transition period, likely to be more stringent than the final legislation, to “provide the necessary protection during the reform process.”

Regional NSW will play a central role in making NSW number one again, the Coalition said. However, the NSW Minerals Council said the proposal to reject any mining application that may have a detrimental impact on strategic agricultural land during the transition period is a significant concern.

Dr Nikki Williams, CEO of the Minerals Council said “this changes the rules mid-stream for anyone currently preparing a proposal for a mining project, which works against plans to ‘make NSW number one again’. Decisions about any development are and should be made on a case-by-case basis and that’s why we cannot support this one-size-fits-all approach."