The QRC is not looking for bailouts or subsidies but our entire sector needs certainty and support in the shape of commitments to reduce red tape and unjustified government-imposed costs, its CEO Michael Roche said.

“The Queensland resources sector is facing some of the toughest conditions in decades, with more than 20,000 jobs lost over the past two years as a result of the downturn,” he said.

“The sector is also seeking a long-term commitment to royalty stability beyond the life of this parliament.”

Even in these most difficult of times there are companies prepared to invest in new job-generating projects because of the strong growth in demand for resource commodities in India and South East Asia, Roche said.

“However those projects are locked up in interminable court appeals by green activists. We need government action to get those projects out of the courts, instead creating thousands of construction jobs and thousands more permanent jobs.”