Queensland mining minster Stirling Hinchliffe has declared that the state's mine safety record will be at risk under the Liberal National Party's resources strategy.
Earlier this month, the LNP leader Campbell Newman announced the party's new mining policy designed to resolve land use conflicts and provide new environmental safeguards.
Newman said at the time that some of the key issues that needed to be addressed in Queensland’s mining industry were skills shortages, streamlining approval and regulation, and protecting the environment.
Hinchliffe has since slammed their overall policy, stating that the LNP also intends to "abolish the mine safety levy that is currently funded by industry and have taxpayers foot the bill.
"It's in black and white in their resources strategy - a publicly funded health and safety regulator for the mining industry".
He went on to say that doing this would water down Queensland's safety regime.
"Queensland has one of the best mine safety records in the world, our tough safety laws will be at risk if the LNP has its way."
According to the Commissioner for Mine Safety and Health’s Annual Performance Report 2010-11, the state's mining industry lost time injury frequency rate dropped from 3.8 in 2009-10 down to 3.1 this year.
It also dropped dramatically in the state’s underground coal mines, falling from 6.2 last year to 3.8 in 2010-11.
"The LNP's strategy is wrong, worse still, it's a danger," Hinchliffe said.
"The mine safety levy boosts the safety and health services of the Mines Inspectorate. When we first introduced the levy in 2008, we asked $26 million from an industry worth $26 billion at the time.
"That levy saves lives. With the LNP's strategy, taxpayers would foot the bill and on top of that, mine safety in Queensland would be shafted," he said
"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of men and women who work in the resources sector - each and every one of them has a fundamental right to return home safely at the end of their shift," Hinchliffe added.