❓ Mr. Johnston questions the Minister for Mines and Petroleum regarding increased fees for prospectors and their potential impact on employment. The Minister acknowledges concerns and outlines potential solutions, including fee exemptions for small disturbance areas.
AnsweredQoN 180Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESOURCES SECTOR — EMPLOYMENT —
PROSPECTOR FEES
180. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the Minister for Mines and
Petroleum:
I refer to the recently announced
enormous fee increases for prospectors and the impact that this may have on
employment in the resource sector.
(1) Why did the
Liberal–National alliance government introduce these fees without
consulting even one individual prospector?
(2) Why will
prospectors need to pay the $590 program-of-work fee multiple times on each
individual lease and not once every four years as the minister claimed?
(3) Will the
Liberal–National alliance government's new fees for prospectors
take up to 10 per cent of the annual income of prospectors?
(4) If the
minister does not agree with that figure of 10 per cent provided to me by
prospectors, how much of their annual income does the minister expect the fees
to take up?
PROSPECTOR FEES
180. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the Minister for Mines and
Petroleum:
I refer to the recently announced
enormous fee increases for prospectors and the impact that this may have on
employment in the resource sector.
(1) Why did the
Liberal–National alliance government introduce these fees without
consulting even one individual prospector?
(2) Why will
prospectors need to pay the $590 program-of-work fee multiple times on each
individual lease and not once every four years as the minister claimed?
(3) Will the
Liberal–National alliance government's new fees for prospectors
take up to 10 per cent of the annual income of prospectors?
(4) If the
minister does not agree with that figure of 10 per cent provided to me by
prospectors, how much of their annual income does the minister expect the fees
to take up?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Cannington
for the question.
(1)–(4) There
was considerable consultation with industry on these application fees for
programs of work and mining licences. A program-of-work application costs $590,
which is valid for four years. The one area of some concern is the prospectors.
The Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association is on our ministerial
advisory committee that advises me on any changes to regulations. S ome prospectors are concerned. One of
the issues that we are looking at to keep the balls in the air, so to speak, is to have no application
fee at all if the area of disturbance for a program of work application is for
0.25 of a hectare or less. The idea of that is to cut out 20 per cent of
applications. The advice from my department is that the lowest 20 per cent of
applications for disturbed areas will mainly be from prospectors, so we are looking at avenues to make sure
that prospectors are not adversely affected. It is a very small fee. Recently,
together with the Minister for Lands, I announced a change to the legislation
to reduce the considerable fees local governments charge for tenements; these
fees are minor in comparison to those. However, I recognise that prospectors
have raised an issue about the cut-off being 0.25 of a hectare and we are looking at that. W e are open to seeing whether we can
increase that area.
for the question.
(1)–(4) There
was considerable consultation with industry on these application fees for
programs of work and mining licences. A program-of-work application costs $590,
which is valid for four years. The one area of some concern is the prospectors.
The Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association is on our ministerial
advisory committee that advises me on any changes to regulations. S ome prospectors are concerned. One of
the issues that we are looking at to keep the balls in the air, so to speak, is to have no application
fee at all if the area of disturbance for a program of work application is for
0.25 of a hectare or less. The idea of that is to cut out 20 per cent of
applications. The advice from my department is that the lowest 20 per cent of
applications for disturbed areas will mainly be from prospectors, so we are looking at avenues to make sure
that prospectors are not adversely affected. It is a very small fee. Recently,
together with the Minister for Lands, I announced a change to the legislation
to reduce the considerable fees local governments charge for tenements; these
fees are minor in comparison to those. However, I recognise that prospectors
have raised an issue about the cut-off being 0.25 of a hectare and we are looking at that. W e are open to seeing whether we can
increase that area.
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