❓ Hon Robin Chapple questions the Minister for Mines and Petroleum regarding the reassessment and prioritisation of abandoned mining sites for rehabilitation, particularly concerning 'very high risk' sites and the timeline for action. The Minister responds that a policy is being developed to guide prioritisation, with reassessment to follow.
AnsweredQoN 847Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
UNFENCED ABANDONED MINING SHAFTS
847. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
minister representing the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the
answer to my question without notice 403 asked in the Legislative Council on
Wednesday, 9 April 2014, by the minister representing the Minister for Mines
and Petroleum.
(1) Regarding the
answer to (2), will the minister define ''very high risk sites''?
(2) Regarding the answer to (6), has the
minister reassessed the risk rating for the legacy sites and prioritised them
accordingly for rehabilitation action?
(3) If yes to (2),
will the minister provide a list of sites?
(4) If no to (3),
why not?
(5) If no to (2),
why not?
(6) If no to (2),
when will this occur?
847. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
minister representing the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the
answer to my question without notice 403 asked in the Legislative Council on
Wednesday, 9 April 2014, by the minister representing the Minister for Mines
and Petroleum.
(1) Regarding the
answer to (2), will the minister define ''very high risk sites''?
(2) Regarding the answer to (6), has the
minister reassessed the risk rating for the legacy sites and prioritised them
accordingly for rehabilitation action?
(3) If yes to (2),
will the minister provide a list of sites?
(4) If no to (3),
why not?
(5) If no to (2),
why not?
(6) If no to (2),
when will this occur?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of this question. The Department of Mines and Petroleum advises —
(1) The inventory
of abandoned mine features that has been established by the Department of Mines
and Petroleum, considers risk primarily due to safety concerns. The only sites
addressed by the government have been those posing an immediate and serious
threat to human life, which may be considered to be the definition of ''very
high risk''.
(2) No.
(3) Not applicable.
(4) Not applicable.
(5) Interest
generated from the mining rehabilitation fund will provide the state government
with the funds to begin addressing abandoned mine features across Western
Australia. This work, and the prioritisation of sites to be rehabilitated, will
be overseen by the MRF advisory panel. The panel will be informed by an
abandoned mines policy, which is currently being developed by DMP. The policy
will include criteria to assist with prioritisation, which will include
environmental, cultural, ecological and heritage values as well as safety
issues.
(6) A draft
policy will be available for public consultation early in 2015. Following
adoption of the finalised policy, DMP will then undertake the reassessment and
prioritisation of documented abandoned mine features.
some notice of this question. The Department of Mines and Petroleum advises —
(1) The inventory
of abandoned mine features that has been established by the Department of Mines
and Petroleum, considers risk primarily due to safety concerns. The only sites
addressed by the government have been those posing an immediate and serious
threat to human life, which may be considered to be the definition of ''very
high risk''.
(2) No.
(3) Not applicable.
(4) Not applicable.
(5) Interest
generated from the mining rehabilitation fund will provide the state government
with the funds to begin addressing abandoned mine features across Western
Australia. This work, and the prioritisation of sites to be rehabilitated, will
be overseen by the MRF advisory panel. The panel will be informed by an
abandoned mines policy, which is currently being developed by DMP. The policy
will include criteria to assist with prioritisation, which will include
environmental, cultural, ecological and heritage values as well as safety
issues.
(6) A draft
policy will be available for public consultation early in 2015. Following
adoption of the finalised policy, DMP will then undertake the reassessment and
prioritisation of documented abandoned mine features.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.