We have partnered with Queensland Government to release 2 draft bioregional guidance plans. Now, we want key stakeholders to have their say. This includes:
- impacted communities
- industry
- Traditional Owners
- others.
These draft plans are the first bioregional guidance plans. They focus on priority development for:
- wind farm development in the Collinsville area of the Brigalow Belt North bioregion
- minerals mining in the Julia Creek and Richmond area of the Gulf Plains bioregion.
Bioregional planning looks at the big picture. It does not assess environmental impacts on a project by project basis. Instead, it takes a regional view. It considers how development, the environment and communities interact across an entire landscape, now and into the future.
The draft guidance plans balance development with environmental protection by:
- providing a shared, reliable source of environmental data
- guiding development to less sensitive areas
- helping developers to reduce their environmental impacts.
The plans are guidance plans. They are not regulatory. They do not:
- create ‘go’ or ‘no go’ zones
- replace project assessments under national environmental law.
Instead, they provide greater certainty for industry and stronger environmental outcomes by:
- improving access to information on nationally protected plants, animals, habitats and places
- supporting strategic planning that considers present and future threats
- offering practical advice on managing the impacts of development
- offering practical advice on opportunities to protect and restore the environment.
The draft plans are now open for public comment. The consultation period will run for 6 weeks and close on 10 June 2026.
You can view the plans and have your say at: detsi.qld.gov.au/consultation. (In the Loop, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation) ?
Your feedback will:
- help shape the final guidance plans
- inform the future of bioregional planning in Australia.
