Queensland’s Critical Minerals Bill has passed with amendments won by farm groups, but AgForce says it still comes at too high a cost for agriculture.

The amendments retain Regional Interests Development Approvals as a protected instrument for strategic cropping and prime agricultural land, but exclude wind, solar, battery and data centre projects from being declared State Strategic Projects.

AgForce general president Shane McCarthy says the bill lets a single minister compulsorily acquire land on short timeframes where a landowner and a private company could not reach agreement.

“The only time that critical minerals were mentioned was actually in the title,” he says.

He says farmers recognise the value of minerals but not at the expense of property rights and food production.

“We will continue to make sure that amendments to this bill if needed, and they probably will be, are put back in there.”

He raised concern over data centres and overseas ownership of water rights in the area.

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