❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the government's decision to withdraw amendments to the Mining Act due to lack of support from the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, and seeks clarification on alternative actions to reduce the backlog of mineral tenement applications.
AnsweredQoN 404Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Is the report in today’s The West Australian correct in stating that the Government will not proceed with its prepared amendments to the Mining Act, supposedly designed to overcome the backlog of mineral tenement applications? (2) If so - (a) what are the reasons for not proceeding; and (b) what action will the Government now take to reduce the backlog? (3) Has the minister communicated to the Commonwealth Government the problems that our State faces, and particularly our mining industry, due to the complexity of the Native Title Act and requested a review of the Native Title Act? Hon KEN TRAVERS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(2) If so - (a) what are the reasons for not proceeding; and (b) what action will the Government now take to reduce the backlog? (3) Has the minister communicated to the Commonwealth Government the problems that our State faces, and particularly our mining industry, due to the complexity of the Native Title Act and requested a review of the Native Title Act? Hon KEN TRAVERS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(b) what action will the Government now take to reduce the backlog?
Hon KEN TRAVERS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(2) If so - (a) what are the reasons for not proceeding; and (b) what action will the Government now take to reduce the backlog? (3) Has the minister communicated to the Commonwealth Government the problems that our State faces, and particularly our mining industry, due to the complexity of the Native Title Act and requested a review of the Native Title Act? Hon KEN TRAVERS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(b) what action will the Government now take to reduce the backlog?
Hon KEN TRAVERS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(1) Yes. (2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
(2) (a) The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has indicated that it will not support the Bill in its current form and, accordingly, the Bill has been withdrawn to allow further consultation to occur. (b) Mining tenement applications will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing legislation. (3) The backlog of mining tenement applications has developed as a result of inadequacies in the Mining Act 1978. Many of the recommendations of the native title technical task force, the Keating inquiry and the Bowler inquiry into greenfields exploration in Western Australia had been incorporated in the Mining Amendment Bill 2004 and would have resolved the backlog problem.
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