This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
LOCAL Queensland councils will have expanded powers over day-to-day management of land they hold in trust, and mining companies will now be required to pay council rates as part of their resource authority, as part of new laws passed in state parliament.
The Land and Other Legislation Amendment Bill No 2 was passed to streamline Queensland’s state land administration framework, touted to make it easier for trustees to convert land used for public infrastructure like aged care facilities, emergency services, and water treatment plants to freehold.
“The reform supports Queensland’s economic growth through timely delivery of priority projects by simplifying land allocation to government departments. This will enable projects like housing, hospitals and schools to be developed sooner,” the state government said.
Under the proposed self-assessable framework, a council wouldn’t need the approval of Resources and Critical Minerals Minister Scott Stewart to hold a music festival on a recreation reserve provided they have appropriate management plans in place.
“This is about empowering councils and other trustees to respond to what they communities require at any given time,” Stewart said.
The legislation also makes it a mandatory condition for companies to pay local government rates and charges as part of their resource authority.
“We know resources projects provide benefits to the regions and local communities in which they operate,” Stewart said.
“Paying their local government rates and charges is an important way resources companies can support both the growth of the sector and the sustainable development of our regional communities.”
Sixty per cent of Queensland is administered by the state under the Land Act 1994. The land is allocated for a range of purposes, such as pastoral, residential, tourism, commercial and industrial and administered through leases, permits, licences and as trust land reserves.
The Queensland government has also taken steps to update the state’s place names framework, including enabling a faster process for removing names that include derogatory, racist or sexist terms and expanding the allowed format for public submissions on proposals to include video and audio rather than only in writing.