Media Release 

BRISBANE — Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has today urged Queensland parliamentarians to reject proposed laws that would dismantle independent Land Court scrutiny of major mining projects and significantly restrict long-held community objection rights.

Appearing before the parliamentary Primary Industries and Resources Committee at Parliament House in Brisbane, EDO Queensland Managing Lawyer Andrew Kwan called for the complete withdrawal of the Mineral Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (MROLA Bill) and for the existing objection hearing process to be retained.

“The Queensland Government is proposing to significantly restrict who can object to mining proposals, which projects they can object to, and whether those objections are heard by the independent Land Court,” Andrew Kwan said.

“Legal review rights in an independent court or tribunal are fundamental to the rule of law and separation of powers. They should be protected, not wound back.

“We know that the impacts of mining don’t stop at 125km. Impacts on surface and groundwater, and greenhouse gas emissions, social and economic impacts, can and do extend far beyond an arbitrary boundary. If the Bill was to pass, communities in those areas would be entirely disenfranchised from mining assessment, despite facing real, adverse impacts.”

“This bill is one example in a wider pattern. Not only has Queensland recently given government extraordinary state development powers to allow existing laws to be overruled for significant projects, almost every state and territory has changed laws to make it harder for everyday people to challenge projects that could seriously affect the environment and communities,” Mr Kwan said

EDO’s legal experts are working with members of parliament, civil society groups and communities to protect these rights.

Today’s appearance marks the committee’s final scheduled public hearing before its inquiry report is tabled on Friday, 6 November 2026.

Background to the MROLA Bill

Introduced into Parliament in September 2026, the MROLA Bill proposes major amendments to the Mineral Resources Act 1989 (Qld) and the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld). 

Under current law, a properly made objection to a mining lease or associated environmental authority is automatically referred to the Land Court for an independent public merits hearing.

The Bill proposes sweeping changes:

  • Restricting who can object: Limits objections to landowners or occupiers within the proposed mining lease or a 125-kilometre zone. Submissions on site-specific environmental authorities made by people outside those categories cannot trigger a Land Court hearing and do not have to be considered.
  • Removing automatic Land Court hearings: A properly made objection including by a community member or group will no longer automatically receive an independent hearing in the Land Court. Instead, the Minister or Environment Department will be able to decide a contested mining application without referring it to the Court. It removes an independent assessment that can test evidence in public and regularly results in better decisions.
  • Abolishing notification for standard activities: Scraps all public notification, submission, and objection requirements for so-called “lower-risk” mining activities.

EDO’s submission to the Committee is available here.

About EDO

Our team of lawyers, scientists and policy experts help people access the legal system to protect the environment we all depend on. When environmental laws aren’t working as they should, EDO’s policy experts help design and advocate for better legislation. Our legal education work empowers communities to take part in the big decisions that shape our lives and environment.

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