At GMA, our assessment is that mine approvals can now move faster in Queensland because the State has shifted from a largely reactive approvals posture to a more coordinated and investment-facing model. Since the change of government in late 2024, faster approvals have been embedded in ministerial direction, Cabinet processes, environmental reform proposals and targeted project facilitation. Just as importantly, the government has continued to treat tailings, mine waste and legacy mine assets as legitimate development opportunities rather than only as liabilities [1]–[10].
First, approval speed is now a formal executive objective. In the Premier’s charter letter to the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, the government directed the Minister to create an environment for growth, deliver new and expanded mining opportunities across the State, and “improve turn-around times for approvals” while maintaining strong planning and environmental conditions [1]. That matters because it places approval speed inside the government’s formal operating mandate. For proponents, this reduces political uncertainty: faster assessment is no longer an informal industry request but an explicit government deliverable.
Second, the government has created a Cabinet mechanism designed to reduce inter-agency friction. In April 2025, the Resources Cabinet Committee was presented as a vehicle for “faster, clearer decisions”, with industry associations briefed on proposals aimed at cutting delays and streamlining approvals [2]. For GMA, this is a material development. Mining approvals in Queensland are rarely delayed by a single technical issue; they are slowed by cumulative friction across resources, environment, planning, water and infrastructure agencies. Cabinet-level coordination does not eliminate statutory assessment, but it can reduce sequencing delays, unresolved hand-offs and indecision.
Third, Queensland has started to build reusable approval infrastructure. The Julia Creek/Richmond Critical Minerals Zone Social Baseline Study was released as part of a broader package of baseline studies intended to help proponents avoid duplication, with the government stating that the combined work could reduce assessment timeframes by up to two years [3]. That is one of the strongest technical reasons for expecting faster approvals. Where baseline social, water and environmental datasets can be prepared once and used repeatedly, the assessment process becomes more efficient without weakening the assessment standard itself.
Fourth, the government has shown that it will actively facilitate strategically important projects. The Esmeralda Graphite Project was declared a Prescribed Project in November 2025 to streamline approvals and support timely delivery, with the government stating that the project should proceed without unnecessary delays [4]. That is significant because it shows the State is prepared to intervene where a project aligns with critical minerals policy, regional employment and downstream processing objectives. From GMA’s perspective, this suggests that technically credible projects with strategic value are more likely to move through a coordinated approvals pathway rather than simply waiting in the system.
Fifth, the environmental approvals framework itself is being refashioned to better match regulatory effort to risk. The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation told Parliament that the Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) Bill 2025 is intended to provide opportunities for regulatory streamlining and improve administrative efficiency, including replacing environmental authorities with regulatory codes for certain lower-risk activities [5]. In the subsequent public briefing, officials said the first activities potentially suitable for ERA code conversion would begin with resource activities, “in particular starting with the small-scale mining activities”, and could extend to low-risk exploration activities [6]. For GMA, that is highly relevant. Smaller mine restarts, trial mining programs and staged developments are often disproportionately burdened by front-end administrative requirements. A code-managed pathway would not remove environmental obligations, but it could materially improve predictability and speed for lower-risk projects.
Sixth, the current government is continuing to recognise value in legacy mine assets. Its abandoned mines policy states that mine recommercialisation is a growing area of interest and that several abandoned sites have potential because of tailings storages, stockpiles and remaining in-ground resources [7]. The Collaborative Development Program has likewise funded work to recover remaining mineralisation from mine waste, including tailings reprocessing and waste-to-value studies at legacy sites such as Mount Oxide [8]. This matters because one of the main obstacles to reopening old districts is policy ambiguity. Where the State clearly signals that legacy assets are legitimate redevelopment opportunities, proponents can justify investing in the technical work required to restart them.
The Mount Isa example shows how these settings operate in practice. In May 2025, the government secured third-party access to copper tailings at Mount Isa and described that decision as opening up new processing opportunities and value-add potential [9]. That was paired with support for Black Star and Eva Copper, as well as a public commitment that the government wanted “to see mines opening, not closing”. This is more than a regional media line. It is evidence of a policy approach that treats existing mineral endowment, infrastructure and waste streams as assets that can be reactivated through coordination, access reform and faster decision-making.
Finally, the government is openly judging its own performance against investor confidence and approval speed. In March 2026, it argued that Queensland’s rise from 39th to 13th in the Fraser Institute’s Investment Attractiveness Index reflected a program to restore confidence, cut red tape and get approvals moving, while still maintaining environmental and safety standards [10]. That claim should not be read as proof that every project will move quickly. Investor rankings are an imperfect proxy for actual assessment duration. Even so, they show that the political incentive now runs in the direction of faster, clearer and more bankable decisions.
That is why GMA thinks mines can now be approved faster in Queensland. The evidence points to a coherent shift: formal ministerial direction, Cabinet-level coordination, baseline data reuse, project-specific facilitation, regulatory streamlining for lower-risk activities, and continued official support for mine-waste and legacy-site redevelopment [1]–[10]. None of this removes the need for robust geoscience, sound environmental design or disciplined permitting strategy. It does, however, suggest that Queensland is moving towards a more coordinated and investment-facing approvals model. For well-prepared proponents, that materially improves the probability of a shorter path from concept to decision.
[1] D. Crisafulli, “Charter letter to the Hon. Dale Last MP,” Queensland Government, Brisbane, Qld, 8 Nov. 2024.
[2] Queensland Government, “Resources Cabinet Committee reducing red tape to kickstart new investment,” Ministerial Media Statements, 15 Apr. 2025.
[3] Queensland Government, “New study paves the way for two-year cut to North-West mining approvals,” Ministerial Media Statements, 11 Sept. 2025.
[4] Queensland Government, “Crisafulli Government declares prescribed project to strengthen critical minerals sector,” Ministerial Media Statements, 13 Nov. 2025.
[5] Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Written Brief for the Health, Environment and Innovation Committee: Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, Queensland Parliament, 1 Dec. 2025.
[6] Health, Environment and Innovation Committee, Public Briefing—Inquiry into the Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025: Transcript of Proceedings, Queensland Parliament, Brisbane, 20 Jan. 2026.
[7] Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development, “Recommercialisation of abandoned mines,” Queensland Government, 15 Sept. 2025.
[8] Business Queensland, “Collaborative development program,” Queensland Government, updated 4 Mar. 2026.
[9] Queensland Government, “Crisafulli Government drives new investment in North West Queensland,” Ministerial Media Statements, 7 May 2025.
[10] Queensland Government, “Crisafulli Government delivers Queensland mining comeback as state rockets up global investor rankings,” Ministerial Media Statements, 2 Mar. 2026.