The Council region within which a contentious port expansion has been approved is looking to ensure it can be used for something other than coal.

The Whitsunday Regional Council says the Queensland Government has missed a few important inclusions in its newly-released Draft Ports Strategy.

The Queensland Government put out the draft plan for port development in October, naming the Abbot Point coal terminal near Bowen as a major priority.

Members of the local government jurisdiction that contains the port say the paper defines it as a coal port only, when there had been assurances that it could be used for other purposes.

The Whitsunday Regional Council says previous plans showed the port could be used for produce exports. It also claims the new Draft Plan shuts the door to the idea of using Abbot Point for something other than coal.

Councillors’ concerns do not stop there.

They want to know what happened to former plan for a new rail line from the coal-rich Galilee Basin to the port.

In a meeting this week, Whitsunday councillors pledged to write a letter to Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, detailing their unease.

The most recent Queensland Government Draft Ports Strategy paper is accessible here.