AgForce Critical Minerals Bill Campaign
How Marketing Eye and Robotic Marketer helped secure stronger protections for Queensland landowners
When proposed Queensland legislation created concern across the agricultural community, AgForce needed to respond quickly, clearly and with enough public support to influence the final outcome.
The issue was complex. While the Bill was presented as being related to critical minerals, its provisions extended into a broader State Strategic Projects framework. This created concern that farms and rural properties could potentially be exposed to State-backed land access and compulsory acquisition pathways for projects beyond critical minerals.
For AgForce, the campaign was about more than one organisation’s membership. It was about protecting the rights of Queensland farmers, graziers, landowners and regional communities.
Marketing Eye was engaged to develop and execute the communications strategy, with Robotic Marketer used as the strategic marketing operations platform underpinning the campaign.
The challenge
AgForce needed to communicate the potential implications of the Bill in a way that was:
- Clear enough for farmers and landowners to understand
- Strong enough to gain media attention
- Accurate enough to withstand political scrutiny
- Urgent enough to drive immediate action
- Practical enough for members to share with MPs, councils and local communities
The campaign also needed to operate under extreme time pressure. Parliamentary debate and voting were imminent, creating a short window in which to influence decision-makers and mobilise the agricultural community.
A further challenge was ensuring that the conversation did not remain narrowly focused on critical minerals.
Marketing Eye was adamant that data centres had to be addressed as a future issue. Although data centres were not the immediate focus of the public debate, the proposed framework had the potential to be used for a much broader range of private projects in future.
That concern was included in the campaign messaging and ultimately reflected in the legislation.
This was a significant win.
The strategic approach
Marketing Eye built a rapid-response campaign designed to move across multiple audiences and channels at the same time.
The strategy focused on five priorities.
1. Simplifying a complex legislative issue
The Bill was translated into practical implications for farmers and landowners. Rather than relying on technical parliamentary language, the campaign explained what the legislation could mean for land access, compulsory acquisition, productive agricultural land, water, biosecurity and ongoing farm operations.
The messaging made clear that the issue extended beyond critical minerals and could affect future projects such as wind farms, data centres, renewable energy developments and other private infrastructure.
2. Establishing a clear public position
AgForce’s position was framed around a straightforward principle:
Agricultural land, water, biosecurity and the rights of landowners must be protected in legislation, rather than relying on future guidelines or political assurances.
The campaign called for enforceable protections covering:
- Meaningful landholder negotiation
- Adequate time to consider proposals
- Access to independent professional advice
- Protection of water and biosecurity
- Recognition of productive agricultural land
- The continuation of normal agricultural operations
- Clear limits on compulsory acquisition powers
3. Mobilising members
Marketing Eye developed a practical communications kit for AgForce members, including:
- Social media posts
- Suggested copy for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Threads
- A letter template for local Members of Parliament
- Communication guidance for mayors and councillors
- A community poster
- Suggested wording for local community groups
- Video-sharing recommendations
- Instructions for distributing the campaign throughout regional networks
This allowed members to act immediately without needing to write their own material from scratch.
4. Reaching beyond AgForce membership
The campaign was deliberately designed to extend beyond AgForce’s existing membership.
Farmers, graziers, rural families, landowners, regional businesses, local councils and community groups were encouraged to understand the potential implications and contact their elected representatives.
The campaign positioned the Bill as an issue affecting the broader agricultural community, not simply a matter for one commodity group or one peak body.
5. Creating urgency
With debate and voting approaching, the campaign required a strong sense of immediacy.
Communications were prepared for distribution to members, MPs, councils and media, with clear calls to action. The message was direct: Queenslanders needed to contact their representatives before the vote and ask for meaningful protections to be included in the legislation.
The role of Robotic Marketer
Robotic Marketer provided the strategic marketing operations foundation for the campaign.
The platform helped Marketing Eye organise the campaign around:
- The central advocacy objective
- Priority audiences
- Core messages
- Stakeholder communication
- Content requirements
- Channel activity
- Calls to action
- Timing and campaign momentum
This helped transform a fast-moving political issue into a coordinated communications program.
Rather than treating each piece of content as an isolated asset, the campaign was developed as an integrated sequence. The same strategic position was adapted for members, media, MPs, mayors, councillors and community audiences.
Robotic Marketer supported the strategy-first process, while Marketing Eye applied the judgement, messaging expertise and creative execution required for a highly sensitive agricultural and political campaign.
The outcome
AgForce achieved a favourable legislative outcome for its members and for the wider agricultural community.
One of the most important outcomes was the inclusion of data centres in the legislation. Marketing Eye had been adamant that data centres represented a significant future issue and should not be overlooked simply because they were not the immediate focus of the Bill.
The inclusion of data centres was a major win because it ensured the issue was acknowledged within the legislative framework rather than left to future interpretation.
The campaign also helped secure greater recognition of the concerns held by farmers, graziers and landowners regarding:
- The protection of agricultural land
- The importance of water security
- Biosecurity risks
- The continuation of farming operations
- Fair negotiation with landholders
- The need for clear and enforceable safeguards
For AgForce, the result delivered value well beyond the organisation’s membership base. It strengthened the position of Queensland landowners and ensured that agricultural interests were part of the legislative conversation.
A campaign with lasting significance
The campaign demonstrated the value of combining sector expertise, strategic communications and marketing technology during a compressed decision-making period.
Marketing Eye helped AgForce move from concern to coordinated action. Members were given the tools to advocate locally, while the broader public debate was shaped around the long-term importance of protecting Queensland’s agricultural land and regional communities.
The data centre issue was a particularly important example of strategic foresight. By identifying a future risk and insisting that it be addressed in the legislation, Marketing Eye helped AgForce achieve an outcome that extended beyond the immediate debate.
For AgForce, it was a meaningful result for members.
For farmers, graziers and landowners across Queensland, it was a broader win.
For Marketing Eye, it demonstrated how strategy, clear communication and the right marketing operations platform can help an organisation influence an issue of genuine public importance.
