For government, it means ensuring that workers and the community are safe, and that environmental, cultural and community values are well protected.

Service: Providing resources sector information and advice to industry, community and government

To ensure the State’s resources sector is developed and managed responsibly and it maintains investment attraction, DMP must continue to provide geoscience and policy information.

WA once again achieved outstanding rankings in the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Companies 2016. Key survey results for WA in the worldwide survey include first place in the Best Practices Mineral Potential Index and first place in Geoscience Databases, plus third place in the Overall Investment Attractiveness Index.

The $7.3 million upgrade of DMP’s Perth Core Library in Carlisle ensured that Western Australia maintained its status as a world-class geoscience resource. Officially opened in November 2016, the expansion increased the facility’s storage area by 3500 square metres to nearly double the number of pallets it can store from 8640 to more than 15,000.

The core library stores mineral and petroleum core and cuttings obtained from industry under various State and Commonwealth legislation and also houses geotechnical drilling and stratigraphic core and rock samples collected by the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA).

In addition to providing extensive free geoscience databases, GSWA promotes geology to the general public through a range of products such as pamphlets, books, virtual tours using Google Earth. Visitors can explore Perth City or Rottnest Island using their smart device by downloading the Everythere mobile application showing a trail of interesting geological sites.

Guidelines and reports from DMP also provide vital information to both industry and community. The Migration of Limesand Dunes in Western Australia and their Impacts report was released in March 2017 highlighting developing geohazards in the State’s Midwest. The strategic research project was undertaken after issues arose with the grant of mining tenements over the mobile sand dunes. The research is also of interest to State Government, local government and the community as the mobile sand dunes pose risks to roads, homes and infrastructure.

DMP is the lead agency in the approval of closure and decommissioning plans, and has identified the need for clear guidance to industry of its requirements for the decommissioning of oil and gas fields and facilities. In 2016-17 work began on developing a Petroleum Decommissioning Guideline that will provide a risk based approach to decommissioning, in addition to describing the State’s legislative requirements and involvement of other Government agencies. A  draft of the guideline was released for limited consultation with industry and Commonwealth Government regulators in September 2016 with a second draft due to be released for wider consultation in 2017.

Section highlights

DMP has made significant technological progress that allows stakeholders to transact digitally with 22,000 registered customers and 92 per cent of the annual volume of business now being conducted online.