Regional Planning Interests Act 2014

The core rule

If you want to carry out a resource activity (mining, gas drilling, etc.) or a regulated activity (a major activity with widespread, irreversible impacts) within one of these protected areas, you must have a "Regional Interests Development Approval" first. Doing so without one is a serious criminal offence:

• Deliberate breach: up to $812,000 in fines or 5 years' imprisonment
• Non-deliberate breach: up to $585,000 in fines

How does approval work?

1. Apply to the chief executive (government department head) with an impact assessment report and a fee
2. The application may need to be publicly notified, allowing the community to make submissions
3. It may be referred to an assessing agency (which could include your local council)
4. The chief executive decides whether to approve, approve with conditions, or refuse
5. Conditions can restrict how, where, and when the activity happens — and must be proportionate
6. Decisions are publicly published, and affected landowners have a right of appeal

Exemptions (when you DON'T need approval)

• Landowner agreement: If the landowner has agreed in writing and the activity won't significantly harm the area or neighbouring land
• First year of activity: Activities within the first year of starting on a property
• Pre-existing activities: If the activity was already lawfully underway before the land became a protected area
• Former wild river areas: Activities under environmental authorities granted before the Wild Rivers Act 2005 was repealed

Key points to know

• This law overrides other resource, environment and planning laws — if there's a conflict, this Act wins
• Even the State and Commonwealth governments are bound by it (though governments can't be criminally prosecuted)
• Conditions imposed under this Act are paramount — they take priority over conditions in other approvals
• Coexistence Queensland (a body focused on helping resources and agriculture coexist) can be consulted in the assessment process