The University of Queensland has strengthened its position as a world leader in minerals and energy research with the opening of its new Centre for International Minerals and Energy Law (CIMEL).
Dean of Law, Professor Sarah Derrington, said the Centre would complement UQ’s research capacity in mining and minerals and draw on inter-disciplinary expertise to address a wide range of challenges faced by these global industries.
“The mining and natural resources sector is fundamental to the Australian economy and its legal regulation has become a vital and dynamic area of legal practice across the world,” Professor Derrington said.
“CIMEL will be a leading centre for research in the areas of industry regulation, impediments to development, land access, workplace safety and industry impacts on communities and the environment.”
CIMEL Director, Dr Tina Hunter said the Centre would help industry improve sustainability with research relating to overcoming regulatory burdens and problems arising from an overlap in State and Federal legal frameworks.
“These issues contribute to a decline in the discovery of new resources and add cost and complexity to resources extraction and operations,” Dr Hunter said.
“UQ is ideally positioned to find solutions to these challenges by leveraging the Law School’s links with resources and energy research centres here and around the world.
“This international focus will draw on the experiences of other resource and energy- rich economies to inform industry development, both in Australia and overseas.”
The Centre will compare some of the world’s most advanced resources regulation frameworks to see what has occurred as a result of regulatory change in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Baltic States among others.
“This research will provide law makers, regulators and legal professionals with the information they need to make informed decisions about the future of these industries in Australia,” Dr Hunter said.
Professor Derrington welcomed eminent UQ Law alumna Marian Gibney, a leader in the field of resources law, as the inaugural Chairman of the Centre’s advisory board.
For more information about the Centre visit law.uq.edu.au/cimel
Media: Dr Tina Hunter, (07) 3346 7551, t.hunter@law.uq.edu.au
Melissa Reynolds, School of Law (07) 3365 2523, m.reynolds@law.uq.edu.au
