We're cutting red tape, Cripps assures Rinehart The nation's richest woman claims the Australian mining sector is being choked by regulation. But Queensland Mines and Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps has reassured Gina Rinehart that "red tape" remains the mortal enemy of the Newman government. In a video released ahead of Ms Rinehart's speech to the Australian Miners and Metals Conference in Melbourne on Friday, Ms Rinehart said too few of her compatriots "properly" understood the mining sector. We've concentrated on passing legislation to unwind the complex web of onerous regulation imposed on industry Plenty of Australians know this in a casual way, but what few seem to properly understand, even people in government, is that mining and other resource industries aren't just ATMs for people to draw from without that money first having to be earned and, before that, giant investments made. The industry needs to keep repeating this and standing up for itself. It needs to keep reminding Australians this - that without mining and its related industries this country has no hope of repaying our record debt without facing the problems Greece and other countries faced with overspending and consequent debt traumas. Mr Cripps said "all Queenslanders should benefit appropriately from the rich resources wealth of the state," but also argued about the "importance of the resources sector to Queensland's economy." "That's why we've concentrated on passing legislation to unwind the complex web of onerous regulation imposed on industry," Mr Cripps said. For example, since we came to office the Co-ordinator-General has improved approval time frames, reducing the average environmental impact statement assessment time frame by 58 per cent, or 359 business days. As a strong supporter of the resources sector, the Newman government will continue its campaign to reduce the regulatory burden on the resources sector. Ms Rinehart's company, Hancock Coal, in partnership with India's GVK received approval for their multibillion-dollar Alpha Coal Mine project in central Queensland's Galilee Basin last year. In March, GVK Hancock announced a preliminary agreement to jointly develop a 500 kilometre rail project with Aurizon, formally QR National, to move the coal to the Abbot Point ports terminal. Gina Rinehart is the largest investor in Fairfax Media, the publisher of this website.