STRATEGIC CROPPING LAND AND REGIONAL PLANNING REFORMS: LOGICAL AND INEVITABLE CO-EXISTENCE OR REGULATORY DOUBLE UP?

摘要

In July-August 2013, the Queensland Government brought forward a review of the Strategic Cropping Land Act 2011 (Qld) (SCL Act) regime originally scheduled to be completed by 30 January 2016. The new timeline for this review appears to have been driven by the linkage of strategic cropping land use regulation to issues raised by the statutory regional planning reforms currently being undertaken in Queensland. As the regional planning reforms progress, and the extent of their overlap with the existing SCL Act regime becomes more evident, the potential utility of a single, streamlined and new regulatory framework has become apparent. Both the agriculture and resources sectors are currently seeking to make sense of, and to influence, this evolving regulatory environment - all the while hoping for a framework that can both deliver certainty and encourage growth.