The Queensland Exploration Council was initiated by the Queensland Resources Council.

In a statement, QRC chief executive Michael Roche explained the QEC would aim to highlight the importance of exploration, as well as the sustainability and growth of the state’s resources sector, with Brisbane as a service centre.

Yesterday it emerged that mineral sands miner and QRC member Sibelco had its mining leases on North Stradbroke Island cancelled, which Roche described as a blow to the state’s reputation.

“With the world clamouring for our minerals and energy resources and some of our larger mines coming toward the end of their life, we need to encourage explorers to find those next big deposits to retain the economic stimulus this sector brings to the state,” he said.

“Unfortunately, with the policies we are seeing out of government such as Wild Rivers declarations, proposed strategic-cropping land legislation and now the cancellation of mining leases, Queensland’s rating as a secure place to invest has taken a tumble.”

Roche also pointed out Queensland’s falling ranking in the latest Fraser Institute study, where it fell to 38th on the overall Policy Potential index, from 24th in 2009-10 and eighth in 2006-07.

One initiative to be spearheaded by the QEC will be to publish an annual scorecard that will track Queensland’s progress towards the goal of being Australia’s exploration leader by 2020.

“The QEC will do that by influencing perceptions of the importance of exploration and by promoting Queensland’s minerals and energy prospectively to investors and to businesses providing support services,” he said.

The Queensland government’s former deputy coordinator-general Geoff Dickie has been appointed as the QEC inaugural chair.

“Geoff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role with his career in both state and federal governments, where he was closely involved with policy and programs in support of the resources sector, and as a qualified geologist heavily involved in the junior resources exploration and development sector, both in Canada and in Australia,” Roche said.

The QEC will be formally launched at a breakfast in Brisbane tomorrow morning, which is expected to be attended by some 250 people and will feature speeches by QRC president Steve de Kruijff and Employment, Skills and Mining Minister Stirling Hinchliffe.