Department’s approach to exploration and prospecting non-compliance.
| Date: | Friday, 20 September 2024 |
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The rehabilitation of exploration and prospecting activities is an ongoing priority for the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS).
The department’s Resource and Environmental Compliance (REC) Division ensures explorers and prospectors do the right thing by our laws, the State and our unique environment.
When submitting a Programme of Work (PoW) application, tenement holders and operators must understand their obligations before, during, and after exploring and prospecting. They must comply with the commitments made in the PoW and with the relevant tenement conditions.
DEMIRS has worked with industry to provide guidance material for rehabilitation best-practice, releasing Programme of Work Guidance and Exploration and Prospecting Rehabilitation Guidance, and introducing new standard tenement conditions regarding rehabilitation.
The department’s inspectors travel throughout the State and utilise a range of technology, such as drones and satellite imagery, to identify industry non-compliance. They also investigate reports from members of the community who observe non-compliance or raise concerns.
The most common issues include sample bags not being removed and rehabilitation not occurring within the time set by the tenement conditions or to the standards required.
Failure to comply can result in forfeiture of tenure or monetary penalties in lieu of forfeiture. If a tenement holder conducts significant or persistent non-compliance, it can affect PoW approvals being granted by the department in the future.
