Compliant miners set environmental standard
The mining industry was the most underestimated land developer in the country according to Brisbane-based biodiversity offsets consultancy earthtrade.
Mining proponents were lifting the bar on biodiversity offsets under Australia’s revamped national environment laws, said earthtrade director Alan Key.
The Federal Environment Protection Reform Act 2025, which amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, passed parliament on 28 November 2025, with provisions commencing in stages through 2026.
Main image: new Century processing plant
Earthtrade said the changes were affecting a range of development proposals that require federal assessment and approval, with the resources sector often taking a broader approach to offset delivery than other parts of the property market.
Multi-million dollar offsets
Mr Key said one mining company had paid $60 million for an established grazing property in Central Queensland to establish an offset.
Mr Key said the property would be managed for its natural values in perpetuity by the mining company, including control of invasive species and feral animals.
“Mining is probably the greenest industry we have without us noticing, because they’ve been doing this for a long time.
“The big difference is that the mining sector will quite often just buy a whole property rather than part of an existing lease. A lot of other sectors will just buy the portion of land that they need, or lease it.
“So, the resource sector is underestimated, number one, by how much land they’ve got under management and, two, how well it is managed.”
Over engineered planning
Where farmers, graziers and other landholders were once engaged to manage offsets as part of their lease arrangements, Mt Key said proponents were now increasingly leaving that responsibility with developers or specialist operators because of the compliance burden.
“Owner-managed is the more traditional model, just because it gives you a bit more flexibility in the landscape to find what you need. These days we’re finding increasing interest in ‘specialty’ landholders who are, in effect, set up to do this work.
“Part of the reason is how complicated these management plans now are. They are a regulatory requirement and can run to 400 pages-plus.
“The landholder is not going to follow a 400-page document detailing how they can exactly spray weeds and shoot pigs while they manage the commercial aspects of their farm. It’s just not feasible.”
Earthtrade is a Brisbane-based offsets consultancy with operations in Australia and the UK, working with developers, miners and infrastructure proponents on biodiversity and long-term compliance matters.
The company describes itself as an environmental market adviser focused on offsets, compliance and regulatory risk.