McGowan Government’s Mining Amendment Bill 2021 passes Parliament
| Date: | Wednesday, 21 September 2022 |
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- New laws reduce administrative burden and support best environmental practices
New laws that will improve the application and assessment of mining activities in Western Australia passed the Legislative Council last night.
The McGowan Government’s Mining Amendment Bill 2021 modernises the mining approval process and allows for easier administration of compliance with conditions of approval.
The Bill will improve approval timeframes and reduce the administrative burden for industry and government without affecting the robust environmental protections the current legislation provides.
A new automated authorisation pathway for eligible mining activities will be implemented in accordance with full information capture and without compromising environmental outcomes.
The Bill introduces a Mining Development and Closure Proposal that removes the duplicate information required under the current Mining Proposal and Mine Closure Plan process.
Other new aspects include the introduction of a single approval instrument for activities and relevant environmental conditions across multiple tenements.
Rather than reporting against a myriad of conditions set over time, tenement holders will have a single Approval Statement that clearly sets out the relevant parameters of approved activities and conditions. These Statements will also be publicly available.
Following the passing of the Bill, consultation will now begin on developing the supporting regulations. It is expected the amendments will commence in mid-to-late 2023.
For more information, visit: https://www.dmirs.wa.gov.au/content/closed-consultations
Comments attributed to Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston:
“The Mining Amendment Bill 2021 supports the McGowan Government’s ongoing commitment to reducing red tape and making it easier to do business in Western Australia.
“The reforms will greatly streamline activity approvals and improve regulation under the Mining Act.
“Most importantly, the new legislation supports best practice environmental regulation, through increased accountability and transparency.”
