We have a great meal and band lined up and lots of yarns to be told. But the celebration does not end there. On the Sunday there is the Tall Tales Tour around some of famous areas around the town and the LRMA will be soundly flogging the Quilpie miners at cricket with a sausage sizzle at Nobby's for lunch.

New legislation

Amendments to the Mining Act are due to be introduced within the next month.

The new legislation will give legislative backing to Access Management Plans and enable miners and landholders to reach an agreement on access and if they cannot agree the warden will decide.

These plans will also be reviewable. At present we are stuck with old management plans with 50m buffer zones.

The new legislation will also give us a right of way to an ppal prospecting licence, as currently there is no formal access to an Opal Prospecting Block under the Mining Act.

We will be able to amalgamate the one security bond for mineral claims and an opal prospecting licence.

Permits to enter will be extended from 14 to 28 days and enable a person to enter a property to inspect the area before taking out an OPB as well as to mark out a mineral claim.

Landholders will be given immunity against any demand arising from mining.

Legislation will be passed so that the 200m buffer zones around a principal place or residence will not apply to the new Western Lands Leases offered for camps on the Permissive Occupancy.

The minister will also have the power to impose levies such as a rehabilitation levy and gazette areas reserved from mining.

As well as amendment to the Mining Act the Mine Health and Safety Bill should also be tabled within the next month.

This will effectively replace the current Mines Inspection Act and bring the legislation under the Occupational Health and Safety Bill.

Maxine O'Brien

secretary/manager