Queensland's Treasurer Curtis Pitt has introduced a bill that would establish a unique, risk-based approach to ensure mining companies rehabilitate their sites.
A company ordered to provide a financial assurance 25 times greater than the amount it proposed has lost a Court of Appeal dispute over the powers of a lower court.
The Queensland Audit Office has praised the state's environmental regulator for making significant improvements to its compliance systems, after delivering a scathing appraisal in 2014.
An environmental order requiring Linc Energy's director to provide a $5.5 million bank guarantee is valid, a court has ruled, and state parliament has banned the technology used by the company.