Mining Capital Funds · research · data as at 14 September 2026

Queensland Mining Approvals Index

Every live Queensland coal and minerals environmental authority, every progressive rehabilitation and closure plan and schedule, and the department's assessment of PRC plan applications — read from the Environmental Protection Act public register, measured, and searchable.

Open the indexSearch conditionsHow long assessments take
3,163live environmental authorities
154approved PRC plans
344,586hectares in current PRCP schedules
624information request items read

What the register shows

  • 557 daysmedian from a PRC plan application to the plan taking effect (22 applications)
  • 162 daysmedian wait before the department's first information request (16 applications)
  • 28items in a typical information request; the largest ran to 68
  • 489authorities still regulated by Codes of environmental compliance retired in 2016; 149 on the 2001 version
  • 55%of current PRCP schedules finish rehabilitation after 2050; 13 run past 2100
  • 17,771 haof scheduled land is set aside as non-use areas or voids that will not be rehabilitated

Durations use dates printed in departmental notices; only applications whose notices state both dates are counted. Figures are counts from register documents, not estimates.

How the approvals fit together

1 · Tenure2 · Environmental authority3 · PRC planMineral Resources Act 1989Environmental Protection Act 1994Required for mining lease activities since 1 November 2019Exploration permit1,839 authoritiesMineral development licence167 authoritiesMining lease836 authoritiesMining claim12 authoritiesholdsEnvironmental authority3,163 liveauthorises the activityand sets its conditionseitherorOwn conditionsin its instrument1,655Standard conditionsby reference1,055adoptsStandard conditions documentsESR since 2016 · 489 still on retired Codesminingleases needPRC plan154 approvedhow and when mined landis rehabilitatedcontainscontainsPlanning partthe reasoningnot on the registerPRCP schedulebinding milestones151 currentsetsRehabilitation and improvement areas1,319 areas · 344,586 ha · 17,771 ha non-use4 · Assessment of a PRC plan applicationnew, transitional or amendment — how a plan and schedule come into effectApplicationlodged by the holder120 on registerInformation request19 notices · 624 itemsday 162 (median)Extension noticeif the deadline moves30 noticesApplicant response186 days allowed (median)273 replies readPlan takes effectafter the decisionday 557 (median)approves plan and scheduleBoxes link to the detail. Counts are live coal and minerals records on the register; durations are medians from dates in departmental notices.
A tenure under the Mineral Resources Act carries an environmental authority under the EP Act. The authority either sets its own conditions or adopts a departmental standard. Mining lease authorities also need a PRC plan: its planning part explains the approach and its schedule fixes binding rehabilitation milestones for defined areas. A plan comes into effect through an application, which the department can answer with an information request and extensions before deciding.
Read as text
  1. Tenure (Mineral Resources Act 1989): exploration permits, mineral development licences, mining leases and mining claims.
  2. Environmental authority (Environmental Protection Act 1994): 3,163 live; authorises the activity on the tenure and sets conditions, either in its own instrument (1,655) or by adopting standard conditions (1,055).
  3. Standard conditions documents: the eligibility criteria and standard conditions since 2016, and the retired Codes of environmental compliance, which 489 authorities still adopt.
  4. PRC plan: required for mining lease activities; 154 approved. It contains a planning part (not published on the register) and a PRCP schedule (151 current) setting milestones for 1,319 rehabilitation and improvement areas covering 344,586 ha.
  5. Assessment: application, information request, optional extension, applicant response, decision. Median 162 days from receipt to the first request and 557 days from receipt to the plan taking effect.

Explore the index

OverviewThe approval systemEvery figure, from the top of the hierarchy downLevel 1Environmental authoritiesStatus, tenure, conditions, retired codes, register gapsLevel 2PRC plans and schedulesCoverage, approvals by year, horizons, land outcomesLevel 3AssessmentStage durations, information requests, extensions, repliesSearchSearch every conditionConditions, request items and applicant repliesDownloadsThe dataAuthorities, schedules, areas and applications as CSV

Quick answers

How many environmental authorities are there for coal and minerals in Queensland?

As at 14 September 2026 the public register lists 3,163 live coal and minerals environmental authorities: 430 coal and 2,733 minerals. 836 sit on a mining lease; most of the rest are for exploration. 435 have been granted but are not yet in effect.

How long does it take to get a PRC plan approved in Queensland?

For the 22 new or transitional PRC plan applications whose notices state both dates, the median time from the department receiving the application to the plan taking effect was 557 days (range 302 to 1,728). The median wait before the department's first information request was 162 days (16 applications).

How many items are in a DETSI information request on a PRC plan?

Across 18 information request notices on the register, the median notice contains 28 items and the largest 68; 624 items in all. 30 extension notices have been issued on 20 applications.

How many PRC plans have been approved?

154 coal and minerals PRC plans are approved (81 coal, 73 minerals), with 151 current PRCP schedules covering 344,586 hectares of rehabilitation and improvement areas. 131 of 836 mining lease authorities hold a plan.

When do PRCP schedules require rehabilitation to be finished?

Of 143 current schedules with a dated final milestone, 78 (55%) finish after 2050 and 13 after 2100. 17,771 hectares (5% of scheduled land) are non-use management areas or voids that will not be rehabilitated to a post-mining land use.

Are old Codes of environmental compliance still in force?

Yes. The Codes were replaced by the eligibility criteria and standard conditions on 31 March 2016, but 489 live authorities still adopt a Code, 149 of them the original 2001 version.

The Queensland Mining Approvals Index is published by Mining Capital Funds. It is derived from documents on the Queensland Government's Environmental Protection Act public register, © State of Queensland, used under the Queensland Government's copyright terms; documents prepared by applicants and holders remain their authors'. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Queensland Government and is not legal advice.