The Queensland government has passed new laws that will severely limit who can object to mining projects. Under these changes, only people who own property within 125km of a proposed mine can take their objections to court. The Resources Minister, Dale Last, says this will speed up approvals and reduce delays that have held up projects like the New Acland coal mine expansion. Critics argue the legislation removes important checks and balances from the mining approval process.
Environmental groups and the Greens party have strongly condemned the laws, calling them corrupt and a direct attack on democratic rights. The Lock the Gate Alliance says the LNP government is tearing up environmental protections to benefit mining companies. Currently, any objection to a mining project must automatically go to the Land Court for independent review. The new laws remove this requirement, giving the minister discretion over which objections reach the court.
Anthony Gough from the Queensland Conservation Council says the changes mean the minister can pick and choose which mines get proper scrutiny. He points out that the current system successfully protected K'Gari (Fraser Island) from sand mining. Queensland produces most of Australia's coal and is the country's most polluting state. Activists say local communities, regardless of their postcode, should have the right to protect their environments from harmful mining projects.
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. severely | a. area |
| 2. proposed | b. significantly |
| 3. condemned | c. help |
| 4. democratic | d. political |
| 5. checks | e. choice |
| 6. scrutiny | f. guard |
| 7. postcode | g. criticized |
| 8. benefi | h. planned |
| 9. discretion | i. safeguards |
| 10. protect | j. examination |
1.b 2.h 3.g 4.d 5.i 6.j 7.a 8.c 9.e 10.f