Western Australia Mine Closure Completion Guideline

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Topic Presenters:

Laura Copeland, Senior Environmental Officer, Dept of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety 

Rosemarie De Bari, Senior Environmental Officer, Dept Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety

Date: 25 May 2022

Time: 12:30 to 1:30 pm (Australian Western Standard Time)

Presentation Overview:  Prior to any ground disturbance, the Mining Act 1978 (Mining Act) requires all mine sites in Western Australia to have an approved Mine Closure Plan and for the Mine Closure Plan to be regularly reviewed. The purpose of a Mine Closure Plan is to ensure that there is a planning process in place so that the mine can be closed, decommissioned and rehabilitated to meet the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s (DMIRS) environmental objectives. A key component of a Mine Closure Plan is for the site to develop specific closure outcomes and associated completion criteria that will be used to demonstrate successful closure has been achieved. As a result of ongoing stakeholder engagement with industry, it was identified that there was a missing link between the mine closure planning process and the end goal of a successfully closed and rehabilitated mine site. In 2016 DMIRS embarked on a project to develop a framework for relinquishment, and in December 2021 released the Mine Closure Completion Guidelines. The objective of the guidelines is to provide advice to industry and the community on the information required to receive formal acceptance from DMIRS that rehabilitation and closure obligations under the Mining Act, and agreed to in an approved Mine Closure Plan, have been met. The evidence to be provided to DMIRS is to be set out in the form of a Mine Closure Completion Report which provides a self-assessment against the agreed completion criteria. This presentation aims to provide an overview of the journey in developing the mine closure completion guideline, an overview of the requirements for the Mine Closure Completion Report and the future focus for DMIRS in the closure planning and relinquishment space.   

Presenter Profile:

Laura Copeland is an environmental regulation specialist who has worked for the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for over nine years. During this time she has been involved with the approvals and compliance activities for mining and exploration projects in Western Australia. Laura has also assisted with the development of policies and guidelines for environmental regulation under the Mining Act 1978.

Rosemarie De Bari:  During her 15-year employment with DMIRS, Rosemarie has assessed mining and exploration activities across the state.  She has been involved with the development of numerous guidelines and policies and has a particular interest in mine closure, rehabilitation and relinquishment.