Decision on application

After consulting with persons affected by the proposed infrastructure facility, including registered owners and/or native title holders, the Coordinator-General:

• assesses the PIF application
• recommends to the Governor in Council whether the assessment criteria in the SDPWO Act have been met.

Assessment criteria

When assessing a PIF application, the Coordinator-General considers whether the:

• project has economic or social benefits to Australia, Queensland or the region in which the project is to be undertaken
• proponent has the financial and technical capability to complete the project in a timely way
• project satisfies an identified need or demand for the services provided by the project
• project will be completed in a timely way to satisfy the identified need or demand
• land on which the facility is proposed to be located has been sufficiently identified
• project is not inconsistent with State policies
• proponent has negotiated for at least six months with each registered owner of the land and has taken reasonable steps to purchase the land by agreement
• proponent has taken reasonable steps to enter into an indigenous land use agreement (where native title exists).

In deciding whether the project has economic or social significance and benefits, the Coordinator-General takes into account the project’s potential to contribute to community wellbeing, economic growth or employment.

The contribution the project may make to agricultural, industrial, resource or technological development in Australia, the State or a region is also considered.

Governor in Council approval

The Governor in Council may decide to approve the project, not approve it, or approve it subject to conditions.

If the Governor in Council decides to approve the project as a PIF, the Coordinator-General must prepare a statement giving reasons why the project was approved and publish a copy of the statement in the Queensland Government Gazette.

The Minister must table the statement in the legislative assembly within three sitting days of the gazettal notice being published.

If the Governor in Council decides not to approve a project as a PIF, the Coordinator-General must, within 28 days of the decision, give the proponent written notice of the decision and the reasons for it.