On 29 June 2026, the Regional Planning Interests (Condamine Alluvium) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Qld) (the Act) commenced, introducing major reforms affecting coal seam gas (CSG) development in the Condamine Alluvium CSG area of the Darling Downs.
The Condamine Alluvium is one of Queensland’s most significant groundwater resources, supporting high-value irrigated agriculture while also overlying a highly prospective CSG resource. The reforms reflect the Queensland Government’s policy objective that future CSG development in the Condamine Alluvium CSG area should proceed only where proponents can demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that projects will not cause detrimental long-term impacts on the aquifer.
To give effect to these reforms, the Act amends Queensland’s Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) (EP Act), the Mineral and Energy Resources (Common Provisions) Act 2014 (Qld) (MERCP Act) and the Regional Planning Interests Act 2014 (Qld) (RPI Act).
Key takeaways
The reforms apply only within the prescribed Condamine Alluvium CSG area. Stakeholders should first confirm whether their operations or landholdings fall within that area. The current map is available here: Condamine Alluvium CSG Area Map – Version 1.0.
For CSG operators, the reforms:
- retain the existing approvals framework, including the requirement to obtain a regional interests development approval (RIDA);
- introduce a new groundwater protection condition for environmental authorities for any new CSG projects in the Condamine Alluvium CSG area;
- require conduct and compensation agreements (CCAs) before directional drilling can occur; and
- expand compensation exposure for CSG-induced subsidence, including through retrospective provisions.
For landholders and agribusinesses, the reforms:
- strengthen statutory protections for groundwater resources;
- expand rights to seek compensation for impacts on agricultural productivity caused by CSG-induced subsidence;
- extend certain compensation rights to landholders outside resource tenure areas; and
- provide a new Land Court pathway for resolving compensation disputes.
Reforms at a glance
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Reforms
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Key Change
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Application
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Groundwater protection
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New deemed environmental authority condition for new CSG wells |
Applies only to new CSG wells and does not affect existing environmental authorities or where applications were lodged prior to commencement |
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Land access
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Directional drilling now requires a CCA |
Applies to future directional drilling, subject to transitional protections for existing CCAs |
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Compensation
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Expanded CSG-induced subsidence regime |
Applies to activities undertaken and impacts suffered before commencement of the Act, subject to transitional protections for certain existing CCAs |
The headline reforms
The Act introduces a new deemed condition that will automatically apply to environmental authorities for new CSG wells within the Condamine Alluvium CSG area.
The condition prohibits the release of contaminants from the operation of a CSG well into waters where the release results in water quality that is inconsistent with prescribed water quality objectives.
The new condition:
- applies automatically;
- cannot be amended, diluted or removed;
- applies throughout the life of a well, from drilling through to decommissioning; and
- is enforceable through the full compliance and enforcement regime under the EP Act.
Importantly, the new deemed condition applies only to new CSG projects. Existing environmental authorities and environmental authority applications already on foot are unaffected.
The MERCP Act amendments are likely to have the most immediate practical implications for CSG operators and landholders.
Directional drilling now requires a CCA
Directional drilling within the Condamine Alluvium CSG area is now deemed to be an “advanced activity”, regardless of drilling depth or anticipated impact.
As a result, a CCA must generally be in place with affected owners and occupiers before directional drilling can commence, unless a statutory exception applies.
The reforms include transitional protections for certain existing arrangements. Where a pre-existing CCA or voluntary agreement already provides compensation for drilling activities, that agreement may be taken to satisfy the new requirements for directional drilling. Accordingly, operators will not necessarily be required to renegotiate existing agreements before undertaking directional drilling activities within the Condamine Alluvium CSG area.
Expanded compensation for CSG-induced subsidence
The Act introduces a new statutory compensation regime for CSG-induced subsidence within the Condamine Alluvium.
Compensation may be available where a subsidence impact affects the ability to carry out agricultural activities or reduces agricultural productivity.
Eligible claimants include:
- owners and occupiers within a resource tenure area; and
- certain owners and occupiers located within 5 kilometres of a resource authority boundary.
Importantly, compensation claims may arise even where the relevant CSG activities occurred on neighbouring land.
Retrospective operation
The compensation regime has retrospective effect. Claims may be brought in relation to:
- CSG activities undertaken before commencement of the Act; and
- impacts suffered before commencement of the Act.
This means compensation exposure is not limited to future activities and may arise in relation to historical operations within the Condamine Alluvium CSG area.
The reforms also include transitional protections for certain existing arrangements. In particular, some pre-existing CCAs relating to drilling activities are deemed to cover directional drilling and CSG-induced subsidence impacts. Existing agreements may therefore not require renegotiation and may provide some protection against additional compensation exposure.
New Land Court pathway
The reforms introduce a new pathway for resolving disputes relating to CSG-induced subsidence compensation. Where the existing statutory dispute resolution processes do not apply, either party may refer the matter to the Land Court.
Like the existing MERCP Act framework, Land Court decisions relating to CSG-induced subsidence compensation will bind successors and assigns.
The Condamine Alluvium CSG area overlaps with regions of agricultural significance, including priority agricultural areas and strategic cropping areas regulated under the RPI Act.
Importantly, following Committee review and public consultation, the Government ultimately retained the requirement for CSG proponents to obtain a RIDA, despite earlier proposals that would have removed the approval requirement.
The reforms clarify that, where there is any inconsistency between a RIDA condition and the new groundwater protection condition imposed under an environmental authority, the environmental authority condition will prevail.
What about the Taroom Trough?
The reforms apply specifically to the Condamine Alluvium CSG area prescribed under the Regional Planning Interests Regulation 2014 (Qld). While that area is largely based on the broader Condamine Alluvium recognised under the Basin Plan, the Taroom Trough has been expressly excluded from the mapped Condamine Alluvium CSG area for the purposes of the reforms, reflecting the fact that CSG is not the primary target resource in the area.
As a result, the key reforms discussed above – including the new groundwater protection condition, expanded subsidence compensation regime and directional drilling requirements – do not apply within the Taroom Trough.
This exclusion is consistent with the Government’s broader policy focus on facilitating oil and gas development in the Taroom Trough and means stakeholders with interests across both regions will need to navigate materially different regulatory settings.
What does this mean for stakeholders?
CSG operators with existing or proposed activities in the Condamine Alluvium CSG area should assess whether existing land access arrangements, planned directional drilling programs and historical operations may be affected by the new MERCP Act requirements and compensation framework. For future developments, operators will also need to consider how the new groundwater protection condition may affect project planning, environmental assessment and approvals.
Landholders and agribusinesses in or near the Condamine Alluvium CSG area should consider whether current or historical impacts on agricultural productivity may give rise to compensation entitlements under the new regime.
The reforms confirm that CSG development in the Condamine Alluvium will continue, but within a framework that places greater emphasis on groundwater protection, agricultural productivity and landholder rights, and reflects the Government’s objective that future projects demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that they will not cause detrimental long-term impacts on the aquifer.
