Assessing and managing cumulative impacts of mining on regional housing in Australia: A case study

The continuous mining development in Australia, particularly in Queensland, means housing has been an important issue in the resource boom towns in recent years when housing price is soaring and housing affordability has been deteriorating. This paper develops a framework to assess the cumulative impacts of mining on housing in regional Australia, with a sub-regional approach through a case study of the northern Bowen Basin region. First, the paper proposes pressure-state-cumulative-impact-response-monitoring and evaluation (PSCRME) framework based on the relationship between planning theories and impact assessment processes. Secondly, the paper applies this framework to identify cumulative impacts of mining on housing using three case study towns from the northern Bowen Basin region. Finally, the paper provides implications of this framework in future mining development and housing planning and management in the mining towns in Australia and elsewhere.