Performative planning? Evaluating coexistence and procedural justice in Queensland's gas–agriculture interface

This paper examines the governance of rural land use conflict at the intersection of unconventional gas (UG) development and agricultural land protection in Queensland, Australia. Focusing on the Regional Planning Interests Act, 2014 (Qld), we interrogate the legislative commitment to 'coexistence' between extractive and agricultural land uses, and its implications for rural landholders—particularly host farmers. Drawing on a critical policy and textual analysis of planning instruments and related materials, we argue that the Act's technical mechanisms and procedural design structurally favour resource sector access while displacing the burden of co-location onto host farmers. Despite policy claims of balance and procedural fairness, the analysis reveals the RPIA's limited capacity to safeguard high-value agricultural land or uphold host farmers' rights to workplace health, safety, and consultation. We conclude that ‘coexistence’ under the RPIA functions is performative rather than a participatory framework, and highlight implications for rural planning, regulatory legitimacy, and governance of energy frontiers. The paper contributes to rural studies scholarship on the people–place–law nexus and calls for greater attention to workplace governance and justice in planning regimes affecting rural landholders.