BRISBANE, Australia -- Queensland has been built on the backs of the mining industry. These days, the growth of coal seam gas (CSG) and LNG activity have only added to the positive economic prospects in the state, according to the Honourable Andrew Cripps, minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland Government.

“One of the priority messages we’d like to make well-known to everyone in the resources sector is that the Queensland government supports the petroleum industry,” Cripps said during his keynote address at Hart Energy’s recent DUG Australia conference and exhibition. “The CSG to LNG industry has become a vital building block of our economy, a major wealth generator, and a generator of employment. It will make a significant contribution to government revenue through royalties well into the future.”

Cripps noted that Queensland also has a significant deep gas and oil potential that offers one of the best opportunities to expand the resources sector in the state during the coming years.

All of that ongoing work and future growth potential add up to energy becoming an area of focus for the Queensland government, according to Cripps.

“Due to the sector’s importance to the Queensland economy, this government has got to plan for its future. That is to provide a framework for investment certainty in return for the best social and environmental outcomes,” he said.

ResourcesQ is the Queensland government’s initiative to set that framework and drive growth and jobs in the state’s resources sector. “Its purpose is to strengthen the sector by helping to make a more competitive, diverse and agile environment in which companies can operate,” Cripps said. He noted that it will help drive economic growth, particularly in the regional and rural areas of the state.

He said that ResourcesQ will ensure that the entire resources sector has maximum input into the setting of the strategic direction for the next three decades.

“I want to have a competitive and diversified resources sector that truly reflects the state’s resource base and realizes the full potential of emerging resource industries,” Cripps said. “The development of deep gas and oil is potentially worth billions to the state’s economy. It could also further increase the security of gas supply for Queensland industries and consumers, and potentially extend the life of Queensland’s LNG and associated service industries.”

Cripps pointed out that the development of gas resources in Queensland will ultimately depend on commercial factors. However, he said that the government can support the development by creating more certain regulatory environments and clearer expectations for stakeholders.

In releasing the state’s framework for the next generation of onshore oil and natural gas, Cripps said it contains 12 wide ranging recommendations to facilitate the development of the industry. The headline recommendation is the development of a Cooper Basin industry development strategy.

The other recommendations address issues including tenure reform, pursuit of cross-jurisdiction collaboration, support of infrastructure, review of hydraulic fracturing conditions and management of underground water, codes of practice and standards and community engagement.

“An oil and gas industry that is commercially viable, safe, environmentally responsible, accepted by communities, forms part of the vital resources pillar of the Queensland economy,” Cripps said. “This is an emerging industry that must demonstrate that it can be conducted in a manner that is socially acceptable and must meet strict environmental and safety standards.

“The framework also makes it clear that the government expects industry to undertake effective and timely engagement with community stakeholders to keep them fully informed and to gain acceptance of this emerging industry.”

Cripps noted that the reforms being implemented can best be summed up as “supporting the resources sector by removing bottlenecks and streamlining the approvals processes.”

“My department is creating a single, common resources act that will simplify and modernize the legislation, reduce compliance costs for industry, facilitate online services and improve service delivery, and increase the attractiveness of Queensland as an investment destination,” Cripps said. “There’s no question that this modernization program is much overdue but it’s not necessarily about revisiting any policy issues, rather it is about what we do and how we can do it better, more effectively and more efficiently.”

Cripps said the benefits of the reforms will allow companies to get on the ground faster with tenures that are more flexible.