Industry urged to ‘take back the narrative’ on mining
Queensland Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Resources and Critical Minerals Bryson Head has called on the resources sector to become more vocal in promoting its economic and social contribution, urging industry to “take back the narrative” from critics.
Speaking at the Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition (QME) in Mackay, Head said the mining and agricultural sectors had allowed others to shape public perceptions despite their central role in building Queensland’s economy.
“We really do need to find a collective way to push back, and as an industry, be loud and proud about what we do,” Head said.
“But we’ve let others capture the narrative and dictate to us as a nation as to what should and shouldn’t happen.”
Head, who worked as a geologist in Queensland’s coal industry before entering politics, said his background in mining and agriculture had shaped his approach to the portfolio.
His career included roles in coal exploration in Central Queensland, work in Canada’s oilfields and the Hunter Valley, as well as growing up on a beef and grain farm on the Darling Downs.
Head said Queensland’s future would continue to rely on its primary industries, particularly mining and agriculture.
“Our state was built off the back of primary industries, and it will continue to live off the back of primary industries,” he said.
The Assistant Minister said the Queensland Government was focused on improving the investment environment for resources projects, pointing to the expansion of the state’s Minerals Critical to Queensland’s Future Fund to $250 million and a $46.1 million commitment to grow critical minerals development.
He also highlighted the work of the government’s Resources Cabinet Committee, which brings together ministers responsible for resources, environment, treasury and the deputy premier to identify and remove regulatory bottlenecks.
According to Head, industry feedback indicated improvements in environmental approval processes and a more practical approach to requests for information from government departments.
“But at the end of the day, we know that it’s not the government that creates roles and jobs; it’s industry,” he said.
“It’s all of you here in the room and here at this conference that are part of that.”
Looking ahead, Head said Queensland’s next opportunity lay in expanding downstream processing and manufacturing capability for critical minerals.
He said solving metallurgical challenges would enable more minerals to be processed domestically, creating additional value from the state’s resource base.
Head pointed to emerging projects such as Julia Creek’s vanadium development as examples of companies progressing local processing solutions and described critical minerals processing as “an incredibly exciting new frontier in Queensland”.
He also said work was underway to investigate the recommissioning of abandoned mine sites where remaining resources could be extracted before sites were rehabilitated, arguing the approach could deliver both economic and environmental benefits.
Closing his address, Head again encouraged the resources sector to actively communicate its contribution to Queensland communities.
“Be loud and proud, and ideally louder than those who want to shut down our industry again,” he said.