Seven Golden Rules for Prospecting campaign highlights safe and sustainable practices.
| Date: | Friday, 27 May 2016 |
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The Department of Mines and Petroleum has launched its annual Seven Golden Rules for Prospecting campaign to highlight safe and sustainable practices.
Mineral Titles Executive Director Dr Ivor Roberts said the department had issued more than 17,000 Miner’s Rights for prospecting in Western Australia in the past five years.
“A Miner’s Right is the most common prospecting permit used by tourists visiting Western Australia and allows holders to prospect on Crown Land with hand-held tools, such as a metal detector, and to take and keep samples or specimens up to 20 kilograms.
“That is an incredible number and is indicative of gold prospecting’s continued popularity in this State,” Dr Roberts said.
“However, to ensure that prospecting is safe and sustainable, everyone prospecting should follow the Seven Golden Rules for Prospecting which outline safety issues and legal requirements.”
Dr Roberts said safety should always be a prospector’s number one priority.
“Western Australia’s outback can be a harsh, remote environment, which is why personal safety is such an important consideration when prospecting in this State,” he said.
“This is why we encourage everyone to carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) when prospecting in remote areas.”
The device, which can be purchased from most outdoor stores, is ideal for use in remote areas as it does not rely on telecommunication networks to submit a signal.
PLBs are the best way of avoiding the sometimes tragic results of getting lost in the Goldfields and the outback.
The Seven Golden Rules campaign will see Department of Mines and Petroleum offices, tourist bureaus, libraries and caravan parks targeted with posters, brochures and booklets.
The annual campaign was launched earlier today by Mines and Petroleum Minister Sean L’Estrange in Kalgoorlie.
For more information about prospecting, please visit your nearest Mining Registrar’s office to obtain a copy of Prospecting in Western Australia or download it from www.dmp.wa.gov.au/prospectingwa
