By Jeremy Cook
A total of 19 permits have been issued for mining exploration activities across the Granite Belt region since 2010 with a further 18 under consideration by the Queensland government, a search has revealed.
Of the currently active permits, all were issued for mineral exploration activities and are known as Exploration Permits for Minerals (EPM).
Since 2020, there have been 14 EPMs granted with up to five issued on land designated by the state government as Priority Agricultural Area (PAA).
Exploration permits are issued to resource companies to undertake activities such as prospecting and surveying, drilling, environmental studies, geophysical surveys, sampling and testing of soil as well as water and rock sampling.
Stanthorpe resident and former geologist Helen Gibson questioned why the permits were issued on land identified for high value agricultural use.
“Why were the additional 18 EPMs even accepted by the Department for consideration when the Stanthorpe and Granite Belt region is recognised … as an area of renowned horticultural and agricultural production,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning said the Regional Planning Interests Act of 2014 allows any proposed resource activity to be assessed on its merits.
“Applications for resource activities in PAAs are referred to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Queensland Gasfields Commission for advice,” she said.
The spokeswoman said the state government was in the process of reviewing proposed changes to the Regional Planning Interests Act.
“These changes align with improvements proposed by the Queensland Gasfields Commission and are intended to provide a more consistent and transparent framework for resource activities in PAAs.”
Generally speaking, exploration permits exist to find out what minerals and gases exist in a particular area of land, and to determine whether it is economically viable to extract and commercialise whatever resources are found.
While the majority of recently issued mining permits in the Granite Belt are still in the exploration stage, Ms Gibson raised concerns about the potential impact of pollution on not just surrounding agricultural areas, but also human health.
“As a retired geologist I am fully aware of the havoc and negative impact that mineral exploration during the EPM stage, not to mention actual mining, will have on prime farming land,” Ms Gibson said.
“The financial benefits of the mine do not outweigh the detrimental impacts on a quality region such as ours.”
Similar concerns were raised about mining activities in communities around Orange, Blayney and Mudgee in New South Wales where a state inquiry was established earlier this year to investigate the impacts of lead, zinc, gold and silver mining on human and environmental health.
There have been 21 permits issued for mining production across the Granite Belt since the 1980s with the last one issued in 2021.
A spokesperson for the Southern Downs Regional Council said the consideration of mining applications after the exploration stage was governed under the state government’s standard planning processes.
“Generally, there is often a strong correlation with mineral resources and highly productive agricultural uses as the topography and soil is influenced by mineral presence,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Gibson called on state government legislation to be altered to prevent mining activity in agricultural areas.
“I believe that we, as a community of many sectors, must mobilise and stand up to halt this assault on what Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt is and represents,” she said.
“It is obvious that the relevant legislation must be altered as a matter of urgency in order to exclude mining from happening, or even being considered, on land that is prime agricultural land, wilderness areas, of scenic value.
“It is time to make a stand for our future survival as a viable, productive and healthy region.”
