Western Australia’s Abandoned Mines Program

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Topic Presenter: Tara Read, A/General Manager Abandoned Mines Program

Date: 25 July 2021

Time: 14:30 to 15:30 (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Topic - Western Australia’s Abandoned Mines Program.  Assessing the risks both to the community and the environment, then determining the most effective approach to managing abandoned mine features, which may still have residual commercial value, while being cognisant of stakeholder requirements both now and in the future is a balancing act which the Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) Abandoned Mines Program (AMP) has to navigate.  Looking at aspects of some of the current AMP projects provides an opportunity to explore these concepts in relation to closure planning, and for maybe identifying some small contributions towards strengthening outcomes when planning for closure. 

Presenter Profile: Tara Read has had a passion for closure planning since first being involved in closing a site in the late 1990s concurrently with opening another mine and seeing the opportunity to improve closure outcomes as part of the early mine planning process.  She has worked in nickel, gold, iron ore and mineral sands in Western Australia and the Northern Territory in both industry and consulting.  Tara is employed by the Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety and is currently acting General Manager Abandoned Mines Program, supporting strategic project development for selected abandoned mine features with strong technical and safety oversight.