Shared responsibilities with other agencies
Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), administrative agreements and the development of guidelines for industry in 2016-17 demonstrate how interagency collaboration is resulting in more efficient processes and supporting best practice for industry.
DMP and the Department of Water (DoW) worked together to develop the Guideline for Groundwater Monitoring in the Onshore Petroleum and Geothermal Industry – August 2016. This guideline assists petroleum and geothermal operators to develop effective groundwater monitoring programs and encourage industry best-practice.
The State Government’s Lead Agency Framework allows DMP to take on a proactive role as the Lead Agency in assisting proponents of complex projects through the entire approvals process across all agencies, including assistance with stakeholder engagement programs.
One of the significant Lead Agency projects to receive approval in 2016-17 was the Gruyere Gold Project. Construction works are now well underway after DMP approved the Project Management Plan, Mining Proposal and Mine Closure Plan in February 2017.
Gold Road Resources is undertaking the project as a 50:50 joint venture with Gold Fields Ltd at the new open pit mine located about 200 kilometres east of Laverton. The deposit is the first major gold find in the relatively underexplored Yamarna Greenstone Belt and Gold Road Resources was successful in receiving a Co-funded Drilling offer from the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) for the project in 2015.
Other projects receiving approval coordination service include the Sheffield Resources Thunderbird Mineral Sands located in the West Kimberley, Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine Shoemaker – Levi expansion project, Hasting Technology Metals Rare Earth Project, Toro Energy’s Wiluna Expansion Project, Vimy Resources’ Mulga Rock Project, the Cameco Yeelirrie Project, the South West Hub Carbon Capture and Storage Project and the Chevron Thevenard Island Decommissioning Project.
A MOU was executed between DMP and the Department of Lands (DoL) in August 2016 – relating to statutory request and administrative referral of mining, petroleum, geothermal energy and land tenure proposals on Crown land. The MOU establishes agreed arrangements for effective and efficient consultation between the two agencies. Details include agreed principles that would be applied to land use decisions, an agreement to continue collaboration and a defined structure for the referral process between the agencies including timeframes.
Preceding the MoU, DMP worked closely with DoL and Landgate in developing a fully electronic system for referrals needed to facilitate the land component of the South West Native Title Settlement. The final phase 2 of the project was completed in the second half of 2016.
A MOU was executed between DMP and the Department of State Development (DSD) for the provision of cartographic, GIS, data management and spatial research services in August 2016. The MOU clarifies the respective roles of each department.