Queensland is set to enact water legislation that the body responsible for protecting the Great Barrier Reef has warned will pose environmental risks to the reef and coastal waterways.
A package of measures, expected to be voted through this week, will deregulate the use of local water by resources companies, including coal miners, expanding on a model already enjoyed by coal seam gas operators in Queensland.
Critics say the reforms will allow mining companies to take billions of litres of water without the need for a licence and could have an impact on water supplies to regional towns.
The proposals have drawn criticism from the state’s local government association, landholders and scientists.
Even the state’s coal industry described the legislation as rushed and said there had been insufficient consultation.
But the ruling LNP’s huge majority in Queensland means the reforms are almost certain to become law, just a week after they were considered by a parliamentary committee.
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