Safer Shafts for Towns

Addressing the mining legacy of the ‘gold rush’ era throughout regional Western Australia, this project focuses on reducing the safety risk of abandoned mine shafts located in close proximity to towns. Project locations are selected based on the risk posed to a single child in any given location by the number of unrehabilitated shafts within a defined distance of a school.

The Safer Shafts for Towns project will be completed in order of priority, with Marble Bar, Cue and Yalgoo selected for the initial pilot phase of the project. These locations were prioritised as they contained the greatest number of high priority shafts identified through the Abandoned Mines Inventory within 1 kilometre of a school.

The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal peoples as being the Traditional Custodians of Western Australia.

Following the completion of the pilot phase, other project locations will commence based on priority and availability of Mining Rehabilitation Fund interest earnings.

Strategic Objectives

1. Identify, document and undertake a risk prioritisation process of abandoned mine features within proximity to schools.
2. Enable opportunities for local Aboriginal businesses and people to be employed on Country in abandoned mine shaft feature survey and rehabilitation works.
3. Reduce risks to the community through the rehabilitation of abandoned mine shafts.