He said the new legislation also enabled coal mining companies to make more effective use of incidental gas extracted as a result of coal mining operations, which would result in lower-cost coal production.

The Mineral and Energy Resources (Common Provisions) Bill 2014 has addressed issues including overlapping coal mining and coal seam gas tenures, and gas emissions from legacy exploration bores.

“[The Bill] delivers the first stage of our Modernising Queensland’s Resources Acts initiative, which involves phased development of a single, common resources Act for the mining, petroleum and gas, greenhouse gas storage, and geothermal energy sectors,” Cripps said.

“This is a major component of delivering the Queensland Government’s commitment to support the resources sector by removing red tape and regulation.

“These initiatives reaffirm the Newman government’s commitment to support a strong resources sector, including small scale alluvial miners, by cutting red tape and costs through streamlined regulatory processes.”

It also delivers key land access reforms that will provide greater certainty for landholders and resource companies about their rights and obligations when undertaking resource activities.

Cripps said the Bill proposed a consistent framework across all resources types to provide landholders and resource companies with greater clarity about their rights and obligations for gaining access to private land near residences and other infrastructure.

“It also provides greater certainty about assessment timeframes and reduces costs for small scale alluvial miners and the broader mining sector.”