Make a submission against the State Development Bill

A new far-reaching Bill introduced to state parliament would allow the Queensland Government to skip critical assessments and even cancel out the application of existing laws to fast track developments.

These are just some of the worst aspects of the State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026:

Planning and environmental approvals processes can be significantly curtailed if a project is declared a Prescribed project or a State significant project
Proponents of State significant projects will be enabled to enter private land and carry out destructive works with very little recourse for landholders
It allows the government to modify the legal provisions of any other Act in Queensland to help push through developments

If made into law, this Bill would have significant impacts on conservationists, landholders, and others who seek to protect their land and local ecosystems from development.

Stand up for the future of vital ecosystems

The government has provided an extremely short timeline for consultation - public submissions on the Bill close at 4pm Thursday 25 June

For the attention of the Primary Industries and Resources Committee,
I am writing to make an individual submission on the State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026.
If made into law, this Bill would have significant impacts on conservationists, landholders, and others who seek to protect their land and local ecosystems from development.
I am particularly concerned that the Bill:
<ul>
<li>Offers broad discretion and lack of accountability to declare a development a State strategic project</li>
<li>Grants broad-reaching and unjustified powers, with inadequate or unclear limits, to exclude or modify other legislation as applied to State strategic projects</li>
<li>Lowers threshold requirements to take land for State strategic projects</li>
<li>Allows increased proponent access to, and use of, land</li>
</ul>
Allowing developments to circumvent environmental assessments and cancel out or modify the application of existing laws would be disastrous for Queensland's precious ecosystems and wildlife habitats.
Assessments and nature protection laws exist as checks and balances on projects that impact our natural and cultural heritage. Circumventing these will incentivise considering only the economic benefits of developments, and without the benefit of any insights or feedback that assessments may provide.
I urge you to listen to the many individuals and organisations in opposition to this proposed Bill, and to act with our state's long-term protection in mind. Please register my strongest opposition to the Bill as it stands. I encourage law-makers to rewrite this Bill with Queensland's unique and iconic wildlife and natural environments in mind.

To be accepted by the Queensland Government, submissions must include the author's full name, email address, and street address. Please note: Your name and submission may be published on the committee’s inquiry webpage, which will mean it can be viewed on the internet.

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