QRC CEO Ian Macfarlane said the resources sector already did much of the heavy lifting for the Queensland economy, paying payroll tax, income tax, stamp duty, council rates and royalties.

“Those royalties help pay the wages of teachers, nurses and police in communities across the state,” he said.

Another key priority of QRC’s Election Policy Agenda – Resourcing Queensland’s Future is for the government to provide regulatory certainty and maintain stable, workable and predictable policy and regulation based on genuine consultation.

“By taking a proactive approach to exploration, standing up to anti-development activism, supporting projects and securing reliable and affordable power, thousands more construction jobs and permanent jobs could be created,” Macfarlane said.

According to the QRC the government should also deliver affordable energy and stabilise electricity costs while reducing emissions.

It said it should also stand up for leading environmental practice and support a positive and realistic policy and regulatory framework and assess activist claims on scientific merit.

“Queensland resources companies have absorbed a three-fold increase in wholesale electricity prices over the past five years,” Macfarlane said.

“The economy needs reliable, dispatchable power at an affordable price. Queensland also needs to play our part in reducing emissions.  The next state government needs to deliver a balanced energy mix.”

Macfarlane said every Queenslander, regardless of where they called home, had a vested interest in seeing the minerals and energy industries succeed and grow.

“A strong voice from government will mean that the resources sector can continue to underpin the state’s economy, jobs, and royalties for decades to come,” he said.