The Queensland Government has given its preliminary view on a Fox Coal mineral development licence application in the Bundaberg region.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity, Deb Frecklington, has assumed responsibility for assessing the application to address a potential conflict of interest of the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development, Dale Last.
The Attorney-General’s preliminary view is that the application is not in the public interest, the Government said in a brief statement this morning.
The Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing, and Regional and Rural Development is preparing a decision brief for consideration by the Attorney-General.
The Fox Resources application (MDL 3040) was first proposed in October 2019 and stretches across more than 7,800 hectares of residential and agricultural land north of Bundaberg.
“Under MDL 3040, Fox Resources is seeking to drill five bore holes for exploration purposes and conduct some technical studies in accordance with Queensland Government regulations. These activities have minimal impact and will be conducted in accordance with the highest environmental and regulatory standards,” said Fox Resources Executive Director, Bruce Garlick.
“Fox Resources has continued to engage with local stakeholders, recently holding another meeting of the Bundaberg Regional Reference Group to update stakeholders on project development.
“Any mining project would be subject to a comprehensive environmental impact statement process with the Queensland and Australian Governments and it would need to demonstrate it co-exists with existing land use and the environment like any major project.
“Fox Resources is committed to pursuing a project that puts priority on local employment and businesses while sustainably co-existing with agriculture, other land uses and the environment,” he said.
