Bill granting 'extraordinary powers' to speed up development passes parliament

The Queensland parliament recently approved a bill that grants the government extraordinary powers to speed up the development of so-called "strategic" projects. Proponents argue the legislation will attract investment and create jobs by streamlining processes for critical minerals projects, while opponents argue the bill gives the government too much power and lacks proper safeguards.

The bill allows the government to declare projects state strategic, enabling expedited approval without existing environmental, planning, or other approvals. It also enables land acquisition for private projects for the first time and weakens appeal rights. The government claims the bill is necessary to capitalize on the critical-minerals boom, which includes deposits of vanadium, cobalt, and copper in Queensland.

However, the bill has sparked controversy, with agricultural groups criticizing the potential loss of prime land for mining and other developments. Environmental groups have also expressed concerns about the lack of meaningful safeguards, arguing that the bill goes too far in fast-tracking projects and undermining community rights.

Despite the criticism, the legislation was passed, with amendments that excluded renewable energy projects and data centers from being declared state strategic.