Under the government’s Sustainable Resources Communities Agreement the social impacts of resource developments on regional towns will be assessed in the planning stages.

The agreement was signed yesterday by the state government, the Local Government Association of Queensland and the Queensland Resources Council in the central Queensland coal mining town of Blackwater.

Premier Anna Bligh told news agency Australian Associated Press the agreement was aimed at strengthening partnerships between government, industry and local communities and improving the social impact assessment for new resource developments.

“It will be backed by a $100 million funding program over three years for economic and social infrastructure in regional and rural communities in key mining areas,” Bligh told AAP.

“Projects may include new or upgraded roads, schools and health facilities.”

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche welcomed the funding for “communities that contribute so much to Queensland’s prosperity”.

“QRC and its members have lobbied strongly to ensure the needs of communities in regions such as the Bowen and Surat basins and northwest Queensland are recognised and rewarded through tangible returns such as improved community services,” Roche said.

Roche said improvements in regional centres were critical to the attraction and retention of employees with economic forecasters pointing to a possible doubling in size of the coal industry by 2020.

“Over that same period, Queensland mining companies must find another 23,000 employees simply to maintain global market share,” Roche said.