Scrutiny of the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement by the Transport Committee has drawn criticism from multiple bodies over the absence of firm commitments to new rail links serving a third runway. Stakeholders argue that without guaranteed delivery of schemes such as Western Rail Link to Heathrow and potential Southern Access routes, surface access capacity and mode-share targets cannot be credibly met. The challenge centres on who funds and delivers these heavy rail connections and how they are secured in the Development Consent Order process.

Minerals Council of Australia’s Victorian division is urging the State Government to rethink proposed fee hikes that would lift exploration licence charges by 40 per cent and work plan fees by 400 per cent. The council argues the changes, tied to exploration licences and renewals, would deter greenfields drilling and early-stage geoscience in a state already seen as high-cost and regulatory-heavy. For explorers, the move could shift budgets interstate, delay drilling campaigns, and reduce appetite for deep or technically complex targets.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld Justice Flávio Dino’s March 2025 ruling allowing the Cinta Larga to conduct legal mineral exploration and mining on four territories in Rondônia and Mato Grosso under a temporary framework while Congress has 24 months to pass national Indigenous mining legislation. The interim rules cap mining footprints at 1% of each territory, require prior community consultation plus environmental, Congressional and National Mining Agency approvals, and give Indigenous groups preference as operators. Where third parties mine, Cinta Larga communities must receive 50% of the value otherwise owed to state and federal governments, directed to safety, environmental recovery, health, education and sustainable production.