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OPERATIONAL REVIEW
DIGGeRs & DeALeRs PReVIeW MACA.NET.AU

Exploration approvals

receive a boost to State Government regulation.”
The biggest public controversy of recent
years was the Juukan Gorge Caves inci-
dent. The WA Government received criti-
estern Australia’s embattled explo- up and doing well,” he said. cism for permitting Rio Tinto Ltd to destroy
Wration regulator is about to receive To retain WA’s share at those levels, the caves, but Johnston said the State con-
some relief with Minister for Mines and Johnston said the Government would con- tinued to lead the way on heritage issues.
Energy Bill Johnston announcing a new tinue to invest in the pre-competitive geo- “If they paid the same attention to her-
approvals response plan focused on pro- scientific data space. itage on the East Coast as we do in the
grammes of work applications. “There is more going into the EIS [explo- West, we would be in a better national po-
According to the State Government, pro- ration incentive scheme] and into MRIWA sition than we are,” he said. “People should
gramme of works (PoWs) for exploration [the Minerals Research Institute of WA],” remember that Native Title is a WA story,
have increased 42% in recent periods, with he said. “We do all the practical things we and the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
450 applications in March alone. Explorers can because if we keep the exploration Act is world-leading because it puts Tradi-
have become increasingly disheartened pipeline of new discoveries, the industry tional Owners at the centre of the process.”
with the subsequent backlog of applica- will have a long future.” Johnston is always ready to defend the
tions, with major drilling campaigns de- While industry will take heart from plans WA resources sector against “East Coast
layed until approvals have been received.
The Government’s response is the Ap-
provals Response plan, which will redirect
several regulatory functions and resources
to support the assessment processes.
“Exploration approvals will be prioritised
to bring them back on track by the end of
September 2022. Other approvals will
meet their timeframe targets by the end of
this year,” Johnston said in a statement.
“The Approval Response Plan’s redirec-
tion of departmental resources will give the
industry confidence in the timeframe for
key resource sector approvals.”
Mining proposals and Native Vegetation
Clearing permits will also be prioritised.
Speaking to Paydirt prior to the an-
nouncement, Johnston said the Govern-
ment would continue to investigate ways of
making the exploration approvals process
smoother, pointing to the online lodgement
of PoWs through the spatial lodgement
system as an example.
“That allows resources in the depart-
ment to be put to more sophisticated ap-
provals,” he said. to streamline approvals, Johnston is acute- WA Minister for Mines and Energy Bill
“WA is a very good place to invest in min- ly aware of public perceptions around the Johnston at this year’s Paydirt Battery
ing, a place where you can get into produc- WA Government’s approach to the re- Minerals Conference
tion in less than four years. You couldn’t sources sector.
do that anywhere else in the world. But we “From people on the East Coast, we activists” and welcomed the fact the in-
can always do better, and we are trying to hear that mining is not a big employer and dustry would have a Sandgroper presiding
meet that challenge. We are still looking at that it doesn’t make a contribution and that over it in Canberra.
the regulatory framework and simplifying it ‘mining gets away with things’. That may “It is good news that the new Federal Re-
where we can.” have been the case in the 80s but not any- sources Minister [Member for Brand, Ma-
The approvals backlog has been frus- more,” he said. “This is a highly sophisti- deleine King] is from WA and has a deep
trating for companies but demonstrates the cated industry with general respect for en- understanding of the resources industry in
intensity of exploration activity in the last 12 vironmental, social and other matters and the State,” Johnston said.
months. I’m proud of it. In fact, he sees wider advantages to the
Johnston said the State had increased “I’ve had conversations with activists new Labor Government providing a differ-
its share of national exploration over the on the East Coast about our closure plan ent view on the national resources sector
previous five years. regulations and have told them: ‘There are debate.
“In 2017, WA had 50% of the national ex- 30,000 abandoned mine sites in WA but “The biggest benefit is that the question
ploration spend. It is now at 60% so WA is there won’t be another one’. That is thanks of coal will no longer be the single issue in

Page 34 JULY 2022 aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT