Making an enquiry and engaging in pre-lodgement for a resource project
Making an enquiry
Planning a large-scale resource project in Queensland is a complex process. The project must meet a number of legislative and regulatory requirements including:
- granting of a resource authority (tenure) from the Department of Resources
- approval as a suitable person to operate a site with an environmental approval from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI)
- assessment of and approvals to manage
- environmental impacts from DESI or the Office of the Coordinator-General (OCG)
- social impacts from the OCG.
More information
As part of the enquiry process, read the following guides for more information.
Department of Resources
- What is the application process for resource authorities?
- Mineral and coal authorities
- Petroleum and gas authorities
Office of Coordinator General
- How does a coordinated project process work?
- How will my environmental impact statement be assessed?
- What are my obligations to communities impacted by my resource project?
- How will my social impact assessment be assessed?
Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI)
About pre-lodgement
All departments strongly encourage pre-lodgement meeting(s) before any formal applications are made for a resource project.
Pre-lodgement meetings give the applicant/client an opportunity to:
- discuss early concepts (pre-design) of the project
- determine project feasibility
- seek information to understand if their proposed application will meet the legislative requirements.
In addition, pre-lodgement meetings can initiate discussion around expected timeframes and the quality of information necessary for the application process for each department.
Pre-lodgement contacts
To organise pre-lodgement meetings, contact each department by phone or email.
Department of Resources
Contact the relevant assessment hub.
Mineral Assessment Hub
- (07) 4447 9230
- mineralhub@resources.qld.gov.au
Coal Assessment Hub
- (07) 4936 0169
- coalhub@resources.qld.gov.au
Petroleum Assessment Hub
- (07) 3199 8118
- petroleumhub@resources.qld.gov.au
Small Scale Mining Hub
- (07) 3078 3031
- SSMHub@resources.qld.gov.au
Department of Environment, Science and Innovation
You can request a pre-lodgement meeting by completing and returning the form Application for pre-lodgement services (ESR/2015/1664 and ESR/2023/6440).
If you have any questions or for more information, contact Permit and Licence Management on 1300 130 372 (select option 4) or by emailing palm@des.qld.gov.au.
Office of the Coordinator-General
Phone:
- +61 7 3022 6100
- 1800 001 048
Email: cpdinfo@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
Next steps
Once you have engaged with the necessary departments and developed a better understanding of your project's regulatory path, you can:
- apply to be a registered suitable operator with DESI
- begin your resource authority (tenure) application with the Department of Resources through MyMines Online.