Overview
The Queensland Government is working to position the State as a global leader in the critical minerals industry and a preferred destination for resources investment through reforms to the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act). The State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 passed the Queensland Parliament on 26 August 2026.
The amendments introduce new tools to support the development of critical minerals projects and other projects of strategic significance to the State. They strengthen the State’s ability to attract investment, streamline project delivery, coordinate infrastructure, and support economic growth.
While critical minerals are the focus of the reforms, the new powers can also be applied to other projects of State significance, providing greater flexibility to respond to Queensland's future economic priorities.
Purpose of the Amendment Bill
The Bill ensures the SDPWO Act provides modern, effective tools to facilitate the development of Queensland’s critical minerals and other priority sectors and across their supply chains.
It does this by:
- introducing new powers to support projects of State strategic significance
- improving how infrastructure and industrial areas are planned and coordinated
- updating existing processes to improve efficiency and certainty for proponents
- strengthening regulatory pathways to help priority projects proceed more efficiently while maintaining appropriate safeguards.
Why this Bill matters
Queensland is home to a rich abundance of critical minerals, which are essential for renewable energy and advanced technologies. With global demand rapidly increasing, this Bill ensures that Queensland is ready to capitalise on this opportunity.
While critical minerals are the focus of these reforms, the new powers can also apply to other projects of strategic significance to Queensland.
This Bill will help Queensland:
- attract domestic and international investment
- support new jobs and regional economic growth
- plan and coordinate the delivery of infrastructure needed to bring projects to market
- strengthen Queensland’s position in the global critical minerals supply chain
- improve investment certainty and support the timely delivery of priority projects.
Key features of the Bill
The Bill introduces new mechanisms to facilitate State strategic projects, including:
- modification orders: Allow targeted amendments to legislation for priority projects of State significance, ensuring timely project delivery.
- State significance notices: Enable a broader range of State matters to be considered by decision makers of certain project approvals.
- land access and acquisition powers: Support investigations on land and, as a last resort, allow compulsory acquisition, while maintaining protections for landowners.
Improved infrastructure coordination
The Bill strengthens the State’s ability to plan and deliver industry-supporting infrastructure, by providing a framework for coordinating enabling infrastructure for resource projects and community infrastructure to support growing resource communities.
Updates to the State development area framework
The Bill improves the State’s ability to plan for, and activate State development areas by:
- introducing the ability to declare development outside of a State development area as SDA-related development, where that development supports the State development area
- updating provisions relating to development schemes, including allowing for the creation of a standalone development assessment process document, to provide consistency in these processes
- clarifying the relationship between the SDPWO Act and other legislation to provide certainty for development applications and approvals
- improving and modernising a range of other processes in State development areas.
Updates to existing frameworks
The Bill also refines existing frameworks in the SDPWO Act to:
- better support priority and emerging industries
- modernise outdated legislative arrangements
- strengthen enforcement provisions to support effective investigation and remedy of development offences.
Further information
The Bill and its Explanatory Notes are available on the Queensland Parliamentary website.
The Office of the Coordinator-General is developing additional guidance material to assist stakeholders in understanding and applying the amended framework.