Article by Eugene Fung and Paul Gregory
Background
In early 2010, the Queensland Government released an initial
discussion paper detailing plans to implement a framework to
protect strategic cropping land (SCL) and on 23
August 2010, the Queensland Government released the SCL framework.
However, the Queensland Government delayed its announcement on how
the SCL framework would be implemented until 31 May 2011.
Since initially announcing the plan to implement an SCL
framework some 18 months ago, there has been much tension and
debate between farmers, environmentalists, agricultural and mining
companies as to whether the SCL framework will be effective in
minimising the affects of mining and related infrastructure or
whether the SCL framework will merely add to project costs and
lengthen timetables.
