PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Queensland government this week announced proposed reforms aimed at supporting small-scale gold miners.

In the discussion paper ‘Reducing Red Tape for Small Scale Alluvial Mining’, Queensland proposed changes to allow small-scale miners to benefit from easier tenure applications, quicker assessments and lower costs.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps said that the reforms honoured a commitment included in the Campbell Newman-government’s six-month action plan and complemented earlier moves to modernise legislation that applies to the resources sector.

“These small gold operators are important for commercial business in remote communities, particularly in North Queensland, as they make a significant contribution to regional economies, and support hundreds of local jobs,” Cripps said.

“Research has shown that, in view of Queensland’s geological diversity, there’s potential for the discovery of new gold deposits, so it’s important to upgrade and streamline our services.”

The Minister noted that, while this particular programme had been developed with a focus on small-scale alluvial mining, the benefits would flow to the broader mining sector.

“Small-scale gold miners will now be able to use mapping and satellite imagery to mark out the area of their proposed operations rather than using the traditional practice of physically pegging out their claims,” Cripps said.

“We’re also proposing to increase the size of leases that can be applied for during the two-month moratorium on land released from an exploration permit.”

The Minister added said the Newman government was also looking at facilitating compensation agreements specific to particular properties, making the notification and objection process more efficient.

“The alluvial gold industry has demonstrated that small operations can turn a profit in areas where larger mining companies don’t consider projects to be economically viable,” he said.