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Queensland (a mainland Australian state) has over 3.2 million people, predominantly urban dwellers in fast growing coastal towns and cities. It is an expansive state; dependent on large-scale resource and tourism development. Many of its rural and remote communities are in decline (Synapse 1994). Indigenous minorities have traditional and historical interests in land and resource use issues across the state. Queensland’s impact assessment (IA) system is well advanced by world standards (see Sadler 1996). The system operates under various pieces of legislation that provide reasonable opportunities to ensure that the social impacts of development are considered in state and local government decisions.

Despite these legislative opportunities, it is only recently that IA practice in Queensland has begun to explore potential social impacts seriously and to develop appropriate mitigation strategies. This paper …