Queensland's Mine Rehabilitation Requirements for Voids: Ensham Case Study

The Ensham coal mine is an interesting case study of Queensland’s 2018 mine rehabilitation legislation reforms for open-cut mine voids in floodplains. The reforms establish two key principles of rehabilitation: that there could be no residual mine voids in flood plains and that progressive rehabilitation was to be secured by implementation of a Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan and accompanying schedule incentivised by a new financial assurance scheme. However, transitional provisions have permitted exemptions for existing mines in flood plains that risk a troublesome legacy for historically poor progressive rehabilitation practices and raise questions around community expectations for access to information and consultation.