Surveying of mining tenure

The information in this section refers to the appropriate sections and regulations of the Mining Act 1978 (WA) affecting the marking out and surveying of mining tenements. It also includes directions and guidance for surveyors performing limited marking surveys.

Application for Surveyor Approval

Listed below are the essential criteria and application requirements for any surveyor to be included in the list of approved surveyors to carry out official Mining Tenement surveys.

Written applications must be emailed to surveyorapproval@demirs.wa.gov.au and include documentary proof of the following essential criteria:

  • must be a Licensed Surveyor recognised by the Land Surveyors’ Licensing Board (LSLB), under the Licensed Surveyors Act 1909
  • hold a current Practising Certificate recognised by the LSLB, by attending sufficient industry seminars and workshops to maintain the required accreditation points in each calendar year
  • possess current personal or employer’s professional indemnity insurance
  • include a brief resume of relevant work experience in the survey industry, and provide some examples of recent cadastral survey work
  • preferably include a reference from a surveyor with whom you have been working under direct supervision, and is currently on the list of approved surveyors (desirable).

Application for approval as an underground mine surveyor should be directed to the department’s Resources Safety Division.

List of approved surveyors

The list of approved surveyors provides a detailed list of currently accredited approved surveyors who have made application, and been endorsed, to conduct official departmental mining tenement surveys, under the Contract Survey System.

The list has been prepared in accordance with Section 162 Sub-Section (ka)(i) of the Mining Act 1978 and Regulation 117.

Contract Survey System – Survey of Leases upon Grant or Mining Proposal Approval

The “Contract Survey System” operates under the statutory obligations of the Mining Act 1978, which directs that all leases be surveyed on grant. See Sections 80, 82, and 105B, and Regulations 118A, B and C of the Mining Act 1978.

Under the Contract Survey System the responsibility for choosing and contracting an Approved Surveyor, and the cost of survey is met by the lessee.

Any new lease application must be supported by a Mining Proposal (MP) or Mineralisation Report, submitted at the time of application.

Grant of such leases (which includes grant of MP) will initiate a directive to survey.

A Statement of Reason for Decision and an appropriate Information Paper are attached in respect to the Contract Survey System.

Provisions and Regulations of the Mining Act and Directions relating to the Surveying of Mining Tenure

The Provisions and Regulations of the Mining Act and Directions relating to the Surveying of Mining Tenure states the appropriate Sections and Regulations of the Mining Act 1978 (WA) affecting surveys and relating to the requirements of “marking out” and “surveying” of mining tenements.

It also provides directions and guidance for surveyors approved by the Department (including examples) for performing limited marking surveys under the Mining Act 1978 (WA).

Online Lodgement of Survey Documents and Survey Data with Mineral Titles Online

The manual lodgement of survey documents is not accepted.

Mineral Titles Online now enables the lodgement of survey documents:

  • Surveyors field book in PDF;
  • FORM 44 Surveyors Report in PDF; and
  • CSD data file containing surveys within a survey project.

The department provides an enhanced digital field notes template at its Data and Software Centre. The document is located under Map services and resources Tab under surveying folder. A Form 44 Surveyors Report is also located in the same folder.

For further assistance on the online lodgement process and details on what actions approved surveyors must take in order to comply, please read the following: Requirements for Online Lodgement.

A Online Lodgement of Survey Documents and Survey Data Help Guide is also available.

If you are a licensed and currently accredited surveyor who wishes to become a listed Approved Surveyor, please read the section above on Application for Surveyor Approval.

Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA)

The GDA outlines the mapping and coordinate system, based on the centre of the Earth as its origin, that best represents Australia's coordinate system integrated with all other global spatial information.

Digital data sets

You can download a variety of the department’s State-wide spatial datasets for free, available at our Data and Software Centre.

This applies to the department’s custodial data only. Cadastral and topographic datasets can only be sourced from Landgate.