In April 2025, the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, The Hon Dale Last MP, announced a review of the safety and health regulatory model in the Queensland resources sector (Review).
The Review was designed to:
- examine the current regulatory model to ensure it was operating in a manner best suited to drive effective safety and health outcomes for the sector; and
- make recommendations about whether the existing model needs to be modified or replaced with an alternative model.
The Review’s Terms of Reference provides the detail.
The Minister appointed Professor Susan Johnston of the University of Queensland’s ‘Leading for High Reliability Centre’ to undertake the Review over a three month period, concluding in late 2025.
What the Review found
Professor Johnston’s report was tabled in Parliament on 19 November 2025 and included what the Minister described as ‘sobering’ findings. The Review found that ‘[t]he current resources safety and health regulatory model is intrinsically flawed, and does not provide for adequate oversight, and accountability of the regulator’, and made 16 recommendations. Importantly, the recommendations included:
- that a governing board (Board) be established to provide strategic direction to, and governance over, Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) made up of persons with a diverse mix of skills and appointed on merit;
- the Board consider the future role and scope of the Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station (SIMTARS), Occupational Health, RSHQ Corporate and the Board of Examiners due to issues related to the clarity of role and scope of these functions;
- RSHQ’s CEO develop a plan to address the issues raised in relation to investigations and enforcement as a matter of urgency — including that the Serious Incident Investigation Unit had become ‘unduly prosecution focused’;
- that a Chief Inspector should be appointed to the Explosives Inspectorate as a matter of urgency due to the ‘inadequate technical expertise at the highest levels of the Explosives Inspectorate’;
- RSHQ’s CEO prioritise the development and implementation of a risk-based regulatory strategy as inspectorates are still primarily engaging in activities that are schedule, rather than risk, based;
- regarding information sharing about serious incidents, the RSHQ CEO review the current internal processes for approval of written communications to external stakeholders to ensure that the emphasis is on release of more substantive information more regularly (and learn from the practices of the NSW Resources Regulator); and
- the RSHQ CEO urgently prioritise understanding and resolving internal cultural issues at RSHQ.
The Government’s response
Acting swiftly on the findings and recommendations of the Review, on 1 July 2026, the Resources Safety and Health Queensland and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Qld) (Act) amended the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 (Qld), Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act 1999 (Qld) and the Resources Safety and Health Queensland Act 2020 (Qld) to:
1. Establish an independent governing board
The priority of the reform is the establishment of a new five member independent governing board to strengthen oversight, streamline advisory structures, and remove duplication within RSHQ. This has now occurred, with the new Board being established and Ms Kellie Parker appointed as the Chair.
The Board, which will report to the Minister, will have broad functions, including:
- deciding the strategies and the operational, administrative and financial policies to be followed by RSHQ;
- managing performance (including by setting performance expectations and key performance indicators) for the RSHQ CEO and the two advisory committees (see item 2 below); and
- engaging with resources sector representatives and its workforce about safety and health matters.
Ultimately, the Board is responsible for ensuring RSHQ operates effectively and efficiently in performing its statutory functions.
2. Strengthen the advisory committees
The functions of the Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee and the Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee are being expanded to enhance safety and health policy.
The Committees comprise of representatives from industry, worker organisations and technical experts that provide advice and make recommendations about promoting and protecting the safety and health of persons in the resources sector. The Committees’ functions will now include advising both the Minister and the Board, as well as periodically reviewing the effectiveness of relevant legislation, guidelines (mines and quarries), and recognised standards (coal mines).
3. Abolish the role of the Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health
Under the previous model, the Commissioner had responsibility for providing leadership and oversight of RSHQ. The Act discontinued the Commissioner role and transferred the functions performed by the Commissioner to the newly established Board in order to provide clearer lines of responsibility and stronger accountability.
So what does the future hold for health and safety regulation?
The Act promises governance and oversight, streamlined structures, stronger accountability, and the removal of duplication. These are all hallmarks of many effective organisations.
With the LNP Government having responded to their fair share of the Review recommendations by way of legislative reform, it appears the majority of the remaining recommendations will be left to RSHQ’s CEO to grapple with from an organisational change management perspective.
It is clear the government expects to see results. This is highlighted by the fact that the Act includes the ability for the Minister to recommend the removal of the RSHQ CEO ‘for any reason or none’ to the Governor in Council. On this recommendation, the Governor in Council may remove the RSHQ CEO from office ‘at any time’.
With quite the mountain to climb to address the identified organisational culture issues, revising internal structures, and completely rethinking its approach as a regulator, significant changes to safety and health regulation in the resources sector may well take some time — although there is an obvious incentive for progress to be made. Hopefully, this will help deliver improved safety outcomes for Queensland’s resources industry, as opposed to operating under the blunt threat of prosecutions if things go wrong.