This information relates to mineralisation reports and resource reports submitted with Mining Lease applications under the Mining Act 1978, Section 74(1)(ca)(ii) and 74(1)(ca)(iii), respectively.
Mining Lease applications made after 1 February 2013 to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) must be accompanied by one of the following three types of documentation:
- Mining Proposal under Section 74(1)(ca)(i) — see guidelines for submitting a ‘Mining Proposal’
- statement about likely mining operations (‘Supporting Statement’), and a Mineralisation Report under Section 74(1)(ca)(ii) — see guidelines for Mineralisation Report and Supporting Statement for a Mining Lease Application.
- statement about likely mining operations (‘Supporting Statement’), and a Resource Report under Section 74(1)(ca)(iii) — see guidelines for submitting a Resource Report.
Before applying for a Mining Lease, the most appropriate route should be determined by the applicant, as it is not possible to change from a Mineralisation Report route to a Mining Proposal route or vice versa once the application has been submitted.
If the purpose of the Mining Lease application is either to extract basic raw materials such as rock, sand or gravel, or to conduct a small-scale mining operation (and there are insufficient ‘exploration results’ to demonstrate significant mineralisation) then it is recommended that the most appropriate method to proceed is via a Mining Proposal under Section 74(1)(ca)(i). Otherwise, ‘exploration results’ must be obtained prior to lodging the Mining Lease application.
Discussion with staff at the department on this issue prior to application lodgment is welcome. Please contact us at Mineralisation.Reports@dmirs.wa.gov.au. Please note, DMIRS is unable to undertake a pre-assessment of an application before it is submitted, and cannot provide a yes/no response as to whether or not there is significant mineralisation or evaluate whether the application is compliant with the Mining Act 1978. Prior to submitting a Mineralisation Report, the guidelines should be reviewed to ensure all requirements have been addressed.
These guidelines were reviewed and updated in 2023 after undergoing public consultation – the report is available here. The purpose of the new guidelines is to specify the format, content, and standards required in a Mineralisation Report, and the information required in the separate Supporting Statement, in order to comply with the Mining Act 1978, and to streamline approval processes. The department has also provided a draft mineralisation report template and supporting statement template to assist stakeholders in preparing these documents.
Search for existing Mineralisation Reports or Resource Reports using the website's Search functionality. Filter search results by entering mining lease number which needs to be prefixed by an uppercase “T” and a colon (“:”). As an example, to filter for Mineralisation Reports or Resource reports associated with mining lease number “MXX/XXXX”, enter “T:MXX/XXXX”, followed by Search button using the website search engine - to begin the search process.
APPLICATIONS FOR MINING LEASES FOR BRINE AND OTHER WATER-HOSTED COMMODITIES:
If your application relates to a brine, seawater or other water-hosted commodity, it is recommended you review AMEC’s Guideline for Resource and Reserve Estimations for Brines which has also been published on JORC’s website.
Reporting Mineral Discoveries (Minerals of Economic Interest)
Tenement holders have an obligation to promptly report, in writing to the Minister, all minerals of economic interest discovered within their tenements.
The relevant sections of the Mining Act 1978 and/or Mining Regulations 1981 which govern the reporting of minerals of economic interest are listed in Table 1 of the guidance note below. Tenement holders are required to report minerals of economic interest discovered within the following types of tenement:
- exploration licence;
- prospecting licence;
- mining lease;
- miscellaneous licence; and
- general purpose lease.
See more information in the guidance note.
Email: mineraldiscoveries@dmirs.wa.gov.au
Contact
For more information on mineralisation reports or resource reports contact:
Mineralisation.Reports@dmirs.wa.gov.au