About the MRF

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety's (DMIRS) Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) is a pooled fund to which Western Australian mining operators contribute. The Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012 which provides the framework for the fund, was enacted in 2012.

Register for the Mining Rehabilitation Fund.
Lodge your Mining Rehabilitation Fund Report.

All tenement holders operating on Mining Act 1978 (Mining Act) tenure (with the exception of tenements covered by State Agreements not listed in the regulations), are required to report disturbance data and contribute annually to the fund. Tenements with a rehabilitation liability estimate (RLE) at or below a threshold of $50,000 must report disturbance data but are not required to pay into the fund.

Money in the fund is available to rehabilitate abandoned mines across the State in circumstances where the tenement holder/operator has failed to meet rehabilitation obligations and efforts to recover funds from the holder/operator have been unsuccessful.

Interest earned on fund contributions is used to fund the administration of the MRF and to undertake rehabilitation work on legacy abandoned mine sites throughout the State.

As the MRF is a special purpose account under the Financial Management Act 2006, funds must be spent in accordance with the purposes set out in the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012 (MRF Act). The balance of the Fund and levy contribution rate are monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure that the fund is appropriately managed to meet current and emerging rehabilitation liabilities, as well as administrative costs.

The introduction of the MRF does not absolve tenement holders/operators of their legal obligation to carry out rehabilitation works on a tenement.  The MRF Act allows for monies owed for rehabilitation work on abandoned sites to be recovered through the Courts from those responsible.

The fund enhances the State's capacity to manage and rehabilitate abandoned mines, leading to better environmental and community safety outcomes.

The short video provides an overview of the background, implementation and positive results of the MRF.

MRF Legislation

The Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012 provides for:

  • the establishment of the MRF
  • the declaration of abandoned mine sites
  • a levy payable in respect of mining authorisations
  • other related matters.

The Mining Rehabilitation Fund Regulations 2013 deal with matters relating to the practical operation of the MRF Act. Most importantly, these regulations:

  • specify how the mining rehabilitation levy is calculated. This includes listing the categories of land disturbance on which the levy is assessed and the unit rates per hectare on which the levy is based.
  • deal with administrative matters about reporting and assessment, including the due date for reporting;
  • list the matters that the Mining Rehabilitation Advisory Panel can advise upon and set out requirements about the membership and procedure of the Panel; and
  • provide for infringement notices to be issued for late assessment information.

Guidance and Important Information

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Reporting Guidelines - September 2021 - 773 Kb

Current guidance for the Mining Rehabilitation Fund

The Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Post Implementation Review July 2018 - 890 Kb

Report: The Mining Rehabilitation Fund's (MRF) Post Implementation Review (PIR) July 2018

Department of Treasury's letter of compliance for the Mining Rehabilitation Fund's Post Implementation Review 2018 - 159 Kb

Department of Treasury's letter of compliance for the MRF Post Implementation Review 2018

Mining Rehabilitation Fund - Fact Sheet - 2015 - 508 Kb

A factsheet for tenement holders and the general public on the 'who, what, when, where and how' of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund.

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Verification Code Registration Step by Step Guide - 2015 - 812 Kb

Step by step guide for registering your Mining Rehabilitation Fund verification code.

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Frequently Asked Questions - 2017 - 410 Kb

Frequently asked questions about the Mining Rehabilitation Fund.

Rehabilitation Liability Estimate Calculator

The Rehabilitation Liability Estimate (RLE) Calculator assists tenement holders to estimate their rehabilitation liability and the associated MRF levy under a variety of scenarios. The calculator also demonstrates how to reduce the levy through progressive rehabilitation of disturbances on the tenement.

The calculator provides a liability estimate based on the level and type of disturbance and the amount of rehabilitation that has been conducted on a tenement.  It allows tenement holders to enter individual activity types, for example roads or tailings storage facilities, or combine multiple activities into a single 'Mine Activity Type' and can assist tenement holders to gauge the potential impact that future rehabilitation work, or expanded operations, may have on the levy calculation.  Please be aware that the RLE itself serves only as the basis for calculating the levy and is not intended to represent an estimate of the real cost of rehabilitating any particular site.

Tenement holders who use the calculator must still submit their annual MRF disturbance report, as this is not connected to the MRF reporting system.  The estimate is intended to be indicative only and the reliability of its results depends on the accuracy of the disturbance information entered.

MRF Data Release

MRF

The MRF data is published on DMIRS's website annually. Released data, which shows ground disturbance as reported by the tenement holder, can be found under 'Archive of Data Releases' below.

As a requirement of the MRF, all tenement holders are required to provide DMIRS with accurate information of the types and areas of ground disturbance for each tenement.  This data is collected to calculate the annual mining rehabilitation levy but it also allows DMIRS to understand the type and extent of ground disturbance on Mining Act tenure across the State. It builds on the information collected and monitored by DMIRS when it approves and monitors a project.

The released MRF data is available to the public to filter and search by type of disturbance and tenement type.  It can be used to gain a detailed picture of mining and exploration activities in a particular area, including the scale of disturbance on tenements that may be the subject of a potential purchase.

Before using the data, please ensure that you refer to the ‘Notes’ sheet contained in each Data Release spreadsheet so that you understand how the data is represented.

Each year, DMIRS reviews a representative sample of data provided by tenement holders to ensure compliance with reporting requirements and to be satisfied that it provides an accurate assessment of the reported disturbances.

If you have any queries regarding the data, please email the MRF team.

Archive of Data Releases

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2021 data release (FINAL) - 1836 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 30 June 2021

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2020 data release (FINAL) - 1978 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 30 June 2020

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2023 data release - 2081 Kb

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2023 data release

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2022 data release - 1991 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2022

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2020 data release - 1834 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2020

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2019 data release (FINAL) - 2579 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 30 September 2021

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2021 data release - 1807 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2021

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2019 data release - 1568 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2019

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2016 data release (FINAL) - 1400 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 13 July 2018

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2015 data release (FINAL) - 1409 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 10 July 2017

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2014 data release (FINAL) - 1414 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 9 July 2016

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2018 data release (FINAL) - 1560 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 9 July 2020

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2017 data release (FINAL) - 1670 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders updated to 9 July 2019

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2016 data release - 1712 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2016

Mining Rehabilitation Fund 2015 data release - 1098 Kb

Mining activity and disturbance data reported by tenement holders for the period ended 30 June 2015

MRF Yearly Reports

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 22-23 - 11142 Kb

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 22-23

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 21-22 - 3134 Kb

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 21-22

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 2020-21 - 1357 Kb

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 2020-21

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 2019-20 - 2373 Kb

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 2019-20

Mining Rehabilitation Fund Yearly Report 2018 - 2019 - 1037 Kb

Summary of the administration of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in 2018-19

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Summary Data 2018 - 386 Kb

Assessment information reported in 2017-18

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Yearly Report 2017 - 2018 - 883 Kb

Summary of the administration of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in 2017-18

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Summary Data 2017 - 336 Kb

Assessment information reported in 2016-17

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Yearly Report 2017 - 469 Kb

Summary of the administration of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in 2016-17

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Summary Data 2016 - 1214 Kb

Assessment information reported in 2015-16

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Yearly Report 2016 - 1934 Kb

Summary of the administration of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in 2015-16

Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Yearly Report 2015 - 1017 Kb

Summary of the administration of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in 2014-15

MRF awarded the Premier's Awards 2015

Western Australias Premiers awards Category winner

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett recognised the MRF project for its contribution to economic development within the State by announcing it as a joint winner of the 2015 Western Australia Premier’s Award.

The MRF received the award for excellence in public sector management in the ‘Developing the Economy’ category.

This award recognises projects which stimulate the economy of Western Australia and DMIRS, formerly the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) were awarded as a joint winner in this category along with the Pilbara Ports Authority.

Contacts

MRF Team
Email: mrfenquiry@dmirs.wa.gov.au
Phone: +61 8  9222 3162

Media enquiries
Phone:  +61 8 9222 6102

More information

Follow the link to view the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act proclamation.

Follow the link to view the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Regulations 2013

Follow the link to view the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012