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From One Email to Almost 10,000 Voices | Dean’s Desk 17

RIN has been vocal about Queensland’s coal royalty regime since the new tiers were introduced in 2022. But in September last year, as job losses and uncertainty intensified across the Bowen Basin, it became clear that talking about the issue wasn’t enough anymore.

We needed to act.

September 2025: An Email to Our Members

On 23 September, I sent a letter to our members outlining what we were seeing, what we believed needed to happen and, importantly, asking one question: would you support us if we took this further?

The response was immediate.

Our members wanted their voices heard. Businesses were seeing the impacts firsthand and there was a clear feeling that the conversation needed to extend beyond mining companies themselves to the suppliers, small businesses, families and communities connected to them.

Behind the scenes, we got to work.

October: Regions Before Royalties Goes Live

Just a few weeks later, on 10 October, Regions Before Royalties officially launched.

We built the campaign from the ground up, with its own identity, website, petition and a clear focus on telling the stories behind the numbers.

Within the first week, around 500 people had signed.

Then came the comments.

Hundreds of heartfelt, passionate and at times pretty difficult stories started coming through. People talked about lost jobs, reduced hours, massive investments floundering, businesses under pressure, community sponsorships and uncertainty about what came next.

It confirmed what we'd been hearing from members. This conversation was much bigger than "big mining versus government".

By November, we'd reached over 2,000 signatures, filming with local delegates had begun and the media interest certainly kept us busy.

Taking the Stories Further

In December, we took our first supplier delegation to Queensland Parliament.

It wasn't without its bumps, but it was productive, and most importantly, regional businesses had the opportunity to speak directly to decision-makers about what they were experiencing.

We came back in the new year determined to keep going.

Meech joined us to help capture more stories on the ground throughout Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday, putting real faces and voices behind an issue that can too easily become a conversation about percentages and policy.

In February, we returned to Parliament for the Queensland Resources Council's Resources Roundup and the launch of its A Little Bit of Queensland campaign.

That was an important moment for me. I was able to take some of the comments people had submitted through Regions Before Royalties and put them directly in front of the room.

It landed.

Those comments gave the numbers a human voice and reinforced why regional Queensland needs to remain part of this conversation.

From Mackay to Moranbah, QME and Back to Parliament

In April, we added another way for people to have their say with our Mail an MP tool, while heading back out across Mackay, Moranbah and Dysart to capture more stories.

By July, Regions Before Royalties had made its way to QME, giving us another opportunity to speak directly with businesses from across the supply chain. By then, we'd passed 5,000 petition signatures and the campaign was continuing to grow.

Then in August, we were back at Parliament.

This time we were joined by Matt from Dowdens Group, Mick from Jennmar Australia and Darrin from Viking Mechanical. Together, we met with multiple MPs and the Treasurer, putting those regional experiences directly in front of the people making decisions.

The conversations were constructive, positive and valuable.

Now, We're Closing In on 10,000

Almost 12 months after that first email, we're now just 750 signatures away from 10,000.

That's pretty incredible.

But the number itself is only part of the story.

Every person who signed the petition, stepped in front of a camera, travelled to Brisbane, spoke to the media, shared a post, forwarded an email or simply brought the conversation up around the lunchroom has helped.

Thank you.

This campaign has always been about ensuring the story isn't reduced to mining versus government.

There is an enormous supply chain sitting in between. There are regional businesses, employees, families, sporting clubs, charities and community organisations that feel the flow-on effects when confidence and investment change.

Our job now is to keep making sure those voices are represented.

We're continuing to work behind the scenes, continuing conversations with government and industry, and continuing to tell the stories of the people experiencing those impacts firsthand.

And, of course, we'd really like to crack 10,000 signatures.

If you haven't signed yet, now would be a pretty good time to help us get there.

Looking Ahead

Advocacy isn't the only thing keeping us busy as we head into October.

Our October Industry Briefing is coming up, along with our newly reimagined Leadership & Innovation Workshop Series, featuring four practical half-day sessions across Technology & Marketing, Culture & Leadership, Financial Performance, and Strategy & Growth.

There'll be plenty more to share on both very soon.

For now, thank you again to everyone who has backed Regions Before Royalties over the past year.