Qld land access report criticises lawyers

19 Jun 2012, 6:16 pm   -   Source: AAP

Lawyers are slowing down land access negotiations, a new Queensland government report says.

Lawyers are slowing down access negotiations between landholders and mining companies, a Queensland government report says.

The Land Access Review Panel report, tabled in parliament on Tuesday, says resource companies and landholders agree the early involvement of lawyers in negotiations "unnecessarily" slows down the process and increases costs.

Queensland Resource Council chief Michael Roche says restoring direct working relationships between landholders and resource companies is in everyone's interest.

"All parties to this issue have been in search of certainty from the outset," he said.

"How the government translates this objective into a workable template for future land access arrangements is the key to long-term security."

The report also says some landholders claim mining companies use the threat of the Land Court to pressure them into signing an agreement quickly.

Drew Wagner from rural lobby group AgForce says it's a concerning trend that has developed over the past 12 to 18 months.

"We hear more and more cases of mining companies using standover tactics," Mr Wagner said.

"That's not specific to a region or a company."

He welcomes recommendations to develop fairer negotiation processes but believes there is a long way to go before any real change occurs.

The report makes 12 recommendations to help resolve the impasse, including setting up an independent disputes panel to solve disputes over compensation and land access.

The report notes the standoff between farmers and miners is more "acrimonious" in southwest Queensland's Surat Basin than in other parts of the state.

It says unlike central and northwest Queensland, Toowoomba and other communities in the Surat Basin are more populated, have a bigger agricultural industry and less experience with the mining sector.

Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps says the report, commissioned by the former Labor government and completed in February, is important in building a transparent process.

Meanwhile, the government has appointed six new GasFields commissioners amid ongoing angst over the feared effects of coal seam gas (CSG) mining.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the commissioners will work with GasFields Commission chairman John Cotter to manage the often competing interests of farmers, communities and the CSG industry.

They will gather next month to review public submissions and provide feedback on how the commission should operate.

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