Western Australia’s resources industry has had some small changes made to it, with charges for exploration and ‘low-impact’ prospective work waived, courtesy of a new fee system aimed at protecting the environment and management development.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said activities disturbing less than .25ha that don’t take place on reserved land will be fee-free.
“We continue to work with explorers and prospectors to ensure these charges will not be an unfair burden,” he said.
Following extensive consultation with industry, including the Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association, the Department of Mines and Petroleum will introduce moderate fees for assessing Program of Work (PoW) and Mining Proposal (MP) applications.
Mr Marmion said there were increasingly high expectations on managing and caring for the state’s special and respected environment.
“These fees are being introduced to help meet those standards and ensure the mining industry retains its strong community support to continue building our State’s future,” he said.
During the consultation process, the proposed fees were cut by almost 50 per cent and suggested annual charges were dropped altogether. The fees have been set at $6,950 per MP, which can last for the life of a mine, and $590 for a four-year PoW.
“This equates to around $150 a year for a PoW,” Mr Marmion said.
“While direct comparisons can be difficult, the other major mining State, Queensland, charges an annual exploration fee of $1,800, with annual mining fees of up to $76,000.”
WA’s new fee system starts on July 1 and is expected to contribute $2.7 million a year towards managing applications.
“But it is part of our wide-ranging Reforming Environmental Regulation program, which is forecast to save the WA resources industry more than $30 million a year from now on,” Mr Marmion said.
Add Comment