Coal roundtable sets course for smarter, faster exports

The Queensland Government is tackling bottlenecks holding back one of the state’s most valuable export sectors with a high-level Coal Supply Chain Roundtable hosted in Brisbane.

Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates and Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last hosted the event, bringing together leaders from across the coal export network to drive practical solutions and unlock billions in stalled export capacity.

Despite having more than 300mt of port capacity, Queensland exported less than 200mt in FY24.

The Queensland Government is determined to reduce that gap, supercharge regional economies, and strengthen ties with our major coal trading partners, including India, Japan, China and South Korea.

Roundtable attendees included senior leaders from key industry stakeholders and other Government representatives.

Key topics on the agenda included infrastructure and regulatory barriers, port slot allocation and stockpile management and weather resilience and operational coordination

Minister Bates says the meeting focused on unlocking the full potential of Queensland’s coal infrastructure and ensuring the state remains a global leader in resource exports.

“Queensland’s world-class coal is in high demand, but outdated bottlenecks are holding us back,” he said.

“This roundtable was about working toward cutting red tape, boosting throughput, and ensuring our supply chain works as hard as the Queenslanders behind it.

“This includes supporting the work of our government-owned coal ports to drive efficiencies through cooperation with private sector industry partners.“

Minister Last says improving efficiencies in the coal supply chain is a key priority for the Resources Cabinet Committee.

“The Resources Cabinet Committee is already progressing reforms to streamline approvals and ensure that regulatory frameworks from pit to port are working in sync,” he said.

“Today’s roundtable builds on that work by ensuring our infrastructure delivers on its full potential.

“This is about supporting jobs in regional Queensland by delivering trade certainty for our export partners and sending a message to global investors that Queensland is open for business.”