A parliamentary question regarding KCGM's bore construction and potential misleading of government agencies. The Minister's response indicates no wrongdoing based on the Department of Water's operational policy.

AnsweredQoN 2003Legislative Council
Asked
23 March 2010
Portfolio
Water

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to photographs taken on 21 January 2010, depicting clearing of vegetation and construction of bores undertaken with exploration equipment available for viewing at www.mp.wa.gov.au/rchapple/Kaltails, a document dated 3 December 2009 titled, ‘KCGM Mining Proposal and Works Approval Application’, -
(1) Does the Minister consider that Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd has misled Government Agencies and the wider public in relation to proposed monitoring bores shown on page 44 in the document dated 3 December 2009 referred to above given these cannot be proposed bores when they have already been constructed?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Can the Minister provide the specific date and table a copy of the letter of approval from the Department of Water, which gave the prior written permission to construct the bores shown on page 44 of the document dated 3 December 2009, referred to above?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
(5) Has KCGM breached any section of various acts, administered by the Department of Water, in not obtaining the prior written permission to construct the bores shown on page 44 of the document dated 3 December 2009 referred to above?
(6) If no to (5), why not?
(7) If yes to (5), will KCGM be prosecuted?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
4 May 2010
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Water
Response time
42 days
(1) I understand that the application referred to is made under the
Environmental Protection Act 1986.
This Act is administrated by the Department of Environment and Conservation. The Department of Water (DoW) has advised me that it does not consider it has been misled by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd regarding the bores.
(2) The DoW has an operational policy which does not require mining companies to licence bores in mining tenements that are not linked to managing groundwater abstraction. Such bores include those used for ore exploration, contaminated site investigation, for environmental purposes or to determine the extent and quality of an ore deposit.
(3-4) Not applicable
(5) Answered by (2).
(6-7) Not applicable
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