Other publications

In addition to technical mine rehabilitation research and leading practice advice, the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner also publishes material related to mine rehabilitation trends and policy more generally.

Publications will be made available here once completed.

Publications

Journal papers

• Brief history of the mine rehabilitation reforms in Queensland, September 2022 (PDF, 155.8KB)
  This paper provides a summary of mine rehabilitation in Queensland. From early reforms in the 1990’s through to the most recent reforms in 2020 and ongoing. Journal article has been reproduced with the kind permission of Thomson-Reuters – article originally published in the Environmental and Planning Law Journal, Vol 39, Edition 1.

Conference papers

• Re-thinking our model of mine rehabilitation and closure—is it time for a new model of mined lands stewardship?, October 2023
  This conference paper was authored by James Purtill and was originally published in the conference proceedings for Mine Closure 2023. This paper reviews the status of ‘successful’ mine closure, presents some of the behaviours apparent in the industry regarding mine closure, and proposes some potential opportunities to re-imagine the mine closure task from a liability-laden burden to a long-term stewardship model.

• Influence of social and environmental factors on mine rehabilitation in Australia and Brazil, October 2023
  This conference paper was authored by the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner and Agência Nacional de Mineração, and was originally published in the conference proceedings for Mine Closure 2023. This paper summarises the rehabilitation laws in Queensland, Australia and Brazil. It describes their strengths and weaknesses and considers some of the social and environmental factors that have influenced the regulatory system used to manage and report on rehabilitation. The paper also identifies the learnings from each jurisdiction that can be applied to identify opportunities for improvement in both countries.

• Maximising regional opportunities for in-pit tailings disposal for Queensland coal mines, August 2023 (PDF, 131.7KB)
  This conference paper was authored by Kate Baker and James Purtill, and was originally published in the conference proceedings for Life of Mine 2023. This paper explores shared tailings disposal for Queensland’s Bowen Basin coal mines. It aims to identify and remove barriers to tailings transfers between sites to reduce the overall number of tailings facilities required in the region.

• Queensland’s open-cut coal mine void rehabilitation planning practices: challenges and opportunities, August 2023 (PDF, 335.1KB)
  This conference paper was authored by Megan Clay and Jason Dunlop, and was originally published in the conference proceedings for Life of Mine 2023. The objectives of this study were to outline historic and current void rehabilitation planning practices, describe water quality limitations of Queensland mine voids and identify opportunities for improved planning.

• More And Better Rehabilitation – Lessons from Queensland, July 2023 (PDF, 612.0KB)
  This conference paper was authored by James Purtill and Anna Littleboy, and was originally published in July 2023 by the World Mining Congress 2023. This paper explores the concept of the mining industry’s rehabilitation task as a ‘wicked problem’ and assesses its relevance to better understanding the complex interactions of technical, socio-economic and political interests and factors influencing the rate and type of progressive rehabilitation and mine closure planning in the mining industry in Queensland.