Overview of key activities and achievements for 2023–24
| Date: | Friday, 06 December 2024 |
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The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has released its Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) yearly report, which outlines the key activities and achievements of the MRF and Abandoned Mines Program (AMP) in 2023–24.
Introduced in 2013, the MRF is a pooled fund that Western Australian tenement holders under the Mining Act 1978 are required to contribute to through an annual levy. Where a mine operator is unable to meet their rehabilitation obligations and the site is declared abandoned, the MRF can be used.
During 2023–24, mining rehabilitation levies totaling $47.1 million were assessed, representing a 7.1 per cent increase from the previous year. The MRF compliance team reviewed 1,145 tenements across 43 MRF reports for the 2022–23 levy period. Of these, 240 were found to have potential discrepancies and 226 tenements required amendment.
The MRF is essential to the State’s capacity to manage and rehabilitate abandoned mines. In 2023–24, an independent, 10-year review into the operation of the MRF by Marsden Jacob Associates reinforced that the fund continues to function well as a targeted approach to minimising the environmental, social and financial risk of abandoned mines to the State.
The work being carried out by the AMP shows the positive, tangible outcomes the fund can help facilitate. The AMP achieved significant milestones during the 2023–24 financial year, formally concluding the Donnybrook Shafts project, starting the detailed site investigation at Elverdton, initiating the review of the abandoned mines prioritisation methodology, and undertaking meaningful community engagement as part of the Safer Shafts for Towns project.
The Ellendale project continues to make progress while delivering considerable social and economic benefits. The Ellendale Bunuba Training Program was established under the largest contract awarded to date through the MRF. Following the conclusion of the 2023 dry season works program, the first round of Indigenous participants received a collective 21 National Certificates of Attainment (for machinery operators).
To view the report, and historical reports from previous years, visit the MRF webpage.
