IN Queensland local government's toughest talk yet on the mining-agriculture battle, the Scenic Rim Regional Council has threatened to use the courts to challenge any government-approved resource sector development in its region.
Mayor John Brent, who also chairs grower group Ausveg, said he so strongly believed mining and agriculture could not coexist across the Scenic Rim region, south-west of Brisbane, that he would be willing to open council coffers to fund legal challenges in the Queensland Land Court against any coal or coal seam gas (CSG) proposal in his region.
"While the Land Court would obviously be the final arbiter, we need to ensure the future viability of our food production and stop anything interfering with our tourism industry," he said.
Widely considered a food bowl with rich agricultural land, the Scenic Rim also includes many national parks and environmentally sensitive areas.
However, 80 per cent of the Scenic Rim council area is subject to exploration permits, causing much anger within the community.
The Scenic Rim council is expected to release a peer-reviewed report next week, proving the incompatibility between mining development and agriculture within its territory boundaries.
The report has included contributions from scientists and community groups and builds on council submissions already lodged with the State government and LNP.
Mr Brent said while he believed the strategic cropping land (SCL) legislation, now before parliament, was a "step in the right direction", more focus was needed on regional planning that considered the long-term viability of existing industries.
He said more thorough regional planning could ensure rural areas were clearly marked only for specific uses, such as agriculture.
"We believe the development of the mining industry poses significant risks to our community and agriculture industry," Mr Brent said.
"More attention needs to be paid to what can happen outside the urban footprint to ensure the economic future of land is more than just CSG or coal."
Less than a month after farmers and other concerned community members launched a high-profile protest against mining exploration, using the iconic hilltops throughout the agricultural region as their backdrop, LNP leader Campbell Newman announced plans which could ban coal and CSG miners from the Scenic Rim district, if the State government changed.
Mr Newman said the land-use plan for the area would be revised to say exactly which industrial activities would and would not be allowed in certain places. He said agriculture and tourism were more appropriate industries for the area, although some mining activities would be allowed.
While Mr Newman conceded nothing could be done about the permits already in motion, no major projects had yet been approved.
"We're warning the (resources) industry that if we're the government it will be very difficult to get any sort of approval here," Mr Newman said.
Mayor Brent called on the State government to follow the lead of the LNP and commit to protecting the region.
"While I understand that we are still short of our goal to eliminate all coal mining and CSG activity in our region, this is a significant step forward and I thank Mr Newman for listening to the people here," he said.
"Mining and CSG exploration are important industries, but they must be managed properly.
"We must fight this battle the right way. We have a legitimate argument to make and I'll be making that argument through the proper channels."
Queensland Resources Council chief Michael Roche said he had been assured existing mining rights would be preserved under a LNP government.
He said the sector was prepared to wait for the LNP's plans on the Darling Downs and central Queensland regions.
"They are complex documents to prepare that involve a lot of consultation with community and industry, and the LNP is being realistic when it says it will be a couple of years until it can get those plans in place," he said.
Email a friend