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

  • How utility-scale solar energy generation on rehabilitated mine lands can contribute to decarbonising the resources sector, June 2024.
    This Journal Paper was authored by James Purtill and was originally published in the journal, Research Directions: Mine Closure and Transitions. This paper briefly describes the global challenges facing the metallurgical and thermal coal industry and presents five reasons why renewable energy generation and in particular solar, should be a key element of mine rehabilitation and closure planning. This paper focuses on utility-scale solar projects acknowledging that other renewable energy opportunities as well as storage options exist.
  • Setting restorative goals with a regional outlook: Mine-rehabilitation outcomes influence landscape connectivity, April 2024.
    This Journal Paper was prepared by Lorna Hernandez-Santin from the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute and was originally published in the Journal of Environmental Management. This project was funded by the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. The paper describes an innovative approach to assess the potential for native ecosystem rehabilitation at individual mine sites to improve biodiversity connectivity at a regional scale. The paper found that there can be biodiversity benefits from mine rehabilitation outcomes that could potentially extend beyond the rehabilitated mine footprint area in some cases.

Conference papers

  • Comparing coal mine rehabilitation practices in Queensland, Australia with Wyoming, United States of America, November 2024
    This Conference Paper was authored by the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, and was originally published in the conference proceedings for Mine Closure 2024. This paper compares open cut coal mine rehabilitation practices in Queensland, Australia, with Wyoming in the United States of America. It considers some of the key aspects of rehabilitation including financial assurance (bonding), final landforms including the requirement to backfill pits, groundwater management in alluvial zones and a comparison of the rates of mine rehabilitation reported in both jurisdictions.
  • Rehabilitation challenges for the onshore coal seam gas sector in Australia, May 2024
    This Conference Paper was authored by James Purtill and Louisa Nicolson and was originally published in the conference proceedings for the Australian Energy Producers Conference 2024. This paper explores two emerging issues for the onshore petroleum industry and its regulators – the mitigation of risk of well abandonment and the sheer size of the decommissioning task for surface and near-surface facilities. Please note, a subscription is required to the publisher to view the full text of this paper.
  • 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.
  • 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.