The Scenic Rim Council is under fire for the ad hoc manner in which it chose to protect only some smaller communities from new applications for mineral exploration.
The move has drawn criticism from the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic lobby group for lack of consultation and for potentially pitting one community against another.
And during the Special Meeting held by Council last week to ratify the selection of ‘protected communities, Cr Derek Swanborough tried to ascertain the reasoning behind the selection for the ‘protected list’.
He was unsuccessful.
Later in the week, the Fassifern Guardian asked Council to outline the basis of the selection process using the localities of Carney’s Creek and Croftby as a comparison. Carney’s Creek made the list while Croftby did not, yet both are rural areas with small populations and no schools, halls or other urban infrastructure.
“Council considered centres of population and areas of community significance, such as where halls, schools, residential and/or commerce are present,” was the reply we received from Council.
Council had been given the opportunity by the Minister for Mining, Stirling Hinchliffe, to have townships with less than 1,000 people included in a zone where new mining exploration applications will be denied.
“The State has declared a Restricted Area (RA) 384 under the Mineral Resources Act 1989 over and around urban centres across the State,” the Minister advised.
“In particular, in South East Queensland, the RA applies to all [urban] land bound by the SEQ Regional Plan 2009-31 plus a two kilometre buffer.”
The RA prevents new applications for exploration tenure being granted however, it does not address existing exploration permits.
“The Government is writing to holders of exploration tenures and those who have recently lodged applications asking that they voluntarily relinquish the parts of tenure that are over or around urban areas within the RA,” Council was advised when the Minister’s letter was tabled at the Special Meeting.
“Council in turn is also being offered the opportunity to list those smaller townships (with fewer than 1,000 persons) which are not identified / recognised within the SEQ Regional Plan for either inclusion or exclusion into the RA.”
Areas of the Fassifern which Councillors chose to request the Minister to add to the exclusion zone beyond the main town centres were: Mount Alford, Carney’s Creek, Mt Walker, Warrill View, Teviotville, Maroon, Munbilla, Mutdapilly, Spicers Gap, Roadvale, Rathdowney, Maroon Dam, Rosevale and Tarome.