Delivering environmental outcomes through government partnership in the Fitzroy Basin
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC), representing member companies operating across the Fitzroy Basin, is committed to delivering strong environmental outcomes through close collaboration with all levels of government, while supporting sustainable economic development in Central Queensland.
QRC plays a key role in bridging industry expertise with policy development, working with the Queensland Government, Commonwealth agencies, and regional stakeholders to ensure environmental frameworks are practical, robust, and outcomes-focused. This includes engagement on water quality standards, rehabilitation requirements, and reef protection settings, ensuring regulation is both scientifically grounded and capable of being effectively implemented on the ground.
This collaborative approach enables better environmental outcomes. By working alongside regulators, QRC and its members contribute operational insights, data, and technical expertise that help shape risk-based frameworks and adaptive management approaches. These frameworks are designed to minimise sediment and contaminant run-off, improve water efficiency, and support progressive rehabilitation, directly contributing to the health of the Fitzroy River system and the Great Barrier Reef.
Importantly, QRC advocates for streamlined and aligned processes across State and Commonwealth systems, reducing duplication and enabling faster, more coordinated environmental decision-making.
This not only improves compliance and transparency but also ensures that environmental protections are delivered efficiently and consistently across jurisdictions.
QRC facilitates the exchange of best practice water management approaches between member companies, supporting initiatives that improve water efficiency, reduce sediment movement and protect water quality in local catchments.
For regions like Rockhampton and the broader Central Queensland community, this balance is critical. The resources sector underpins local economies, jobs, and investment, while also carrying a responsibility to protect the natural assets that communities depend on. Through its engagement with government, QRC helps ensure that policy settings deliver a fair return to regional communities, supporting both environmental stewardship and long-term economic resilience.
Collaboration extends beyond government to partnerships with regional organisations such as the Fitzroy Partnership for River Health and Healthy Rivers to Reef, contributing to a shared evidence base and coordinated catchment management.
By aligning industry practice, government policy, and regional priorities, QRC and its members are helping to deliver a future where strong environmental outcomes and economic prosperity go hand in hand, creating a lasting legacy for the Fitzroy Basin.