Sibelco's campaign goal was to overturn Labor's special 2011 legislation which extended expired mining leases at Stradbroke's main mine to 2019. Sibelco had applied for an extension to 2027. There was substantial public interest in the issue in the lead up to the last state election and Newman was under pressure to announce the LNP's policy. He did that on a popular radio program in late January, 2012. The transcript records that Newman promised he would restore rights on Stradbroke and not give Sibelco anything more. He twice denied that he would extend Sibelco's mining interests. The now Chief Justice, Tim Carmody QC, confirmed in a legal opinion sent to Mr Newman in April 2012, the month after his election, that Sibelco, under existing mining legislation, had lost the chance of obtaining an extension of expired mining leases to 2027, but that opponents lost their rights to legally challenge and possibly prevent any extension. More than a year later, on 19 July, 2013, at a parliamentary Estimates hearing, Mines Minister Andrew Cripps was asked (page 8 of the transcript) whether the LNP government intended a longer timeframe for sand mining. Cripps answered: "It may involve a longer timeframe …"

At the same hearing, Cripps was asked by Labor's Jo-Anne Miller (at page 26 of the transcript): "…the Premier assured the public prior to the last election that he would not give Sibelco anything more than what they had prior to the North Stradbroke Island Act and would not extend those mining interests. Can the minister assure us that Sibelco will not be given an extension in area or time for any of the mining leases on North Stradbroke?" Cripps eventually answered (at p. 29) that Sibelco had put forward a proposal for it to continue mining until 2035: "…I reiterate that that is a proposal that has been put forward by Sibelco for us to consider. It is not necessarily what the Queensland government will implement". On 30 October 2013, at another parliamentary committee hearing, Sibelco's CEO, Campbell Jones, said he met with Campbell Newman on "one or two occasions" (page 9 of the transcript). The same day, Newman was asked whether he had discussed Sibelco's electoral support at these meetings. He answered that he could not recall when he met Sibelco's CEO but he claimed he simply told Jones what was in the public domain prior to the 2012 election. (Hansard page 3702).

But would the company have spent a small fortune backing Newman without an indication from him that he was willing to break his public promise to restore rights and not give Sibelco anything more? In November, 2013 the Newman government amended the North Stradbroke legislation to increase the area able to be mined by 300 per cent to over 10 square kilometres and to allow Sibelco, in 2019, to extend mining leases to 2035. It also removed the usual objection and judicial review rights of opponents. On its own figures, Sibelco stands to benefit by $1.5 billion in additional revenue. Newman has tried to cover up his broken election promises. During debate on the amendment Bill, Newman misled parliament by falsely claiming that his 2012 election policy was to extend sand mining to 2035 and "everyone knew" this (Hansard, 20.11.13 p.4105).

Even the evidence of his own Mines Minister Andrew Cripps at the committee hearing exposes this as a lie. In Queensland it is a criminal offence for anyone, including politicians, to lie at a parliamentary committee hearing. But this law does not apply to politicians lying when debating a bill in parliament. It is for the public to judge such lies. Richard Carew is a partner at Carew Lawyers