The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and its exploration arm, the Queensland Exploration Council will not attend today's industry launch of the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan (QRIDP) in Brisbane.
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the State Government's decision to impose the world's highest coal royalty taxes on the sector in the state budget had undermined everything the QRIDP had been set up to achieve.
"The QRC has worked in good faith with the Queensland Government on developing the QRIDP since it was first announced by Treasurer Cameron Dick during the 2020 election campaign," he said.
"We took the Treasurer at his word that the State Government was committed to removing barriers to growth for the resources sector, just as we took him at his word there would be no new or increased taxes in this term of government.
"We have to look at what the government does, not just what it says.
"The Palaszczuk Government has hit the resources sector with a massive tax hike that risks jobs and threatens investment in all Queensland commodities, not just coal.
"A glossy document doesn't change that one bit.
"The QRC and our members have consulted extensively on the QRIDP for the past two years because we wanted to see a strong resources sector and strong regional communities.
"The government's decision to introduce exorbitant new taxes - done behind closed doors and without consultation – has severely undermined any opportunities to achieve this outcome."
