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MINERAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT BILL 2017 BILL 38 OF 2017

                                             FACT SHEET

                     Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill 2017


The Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill 2017 amends the Mineral Resources Development
Act 1995 (the Act) and the Forest Management Act 2013 to remove regulatory duplication, streamline
processes under the Act, provide clarification of the intent of the Act, correct identified errors and meet
Government policy objectives, including reducing red tape.


The Bill:
       provides the Forest Manager with a revised exemption from requiring a mining lease for the
        extraction of gravel for forestry roading activities undertaken under an approved Forest Practices
        Plan, within Future Potential Production Forest Lands, for the purposes of accessing Permanent
        Timber Production Zone (PTPZ) Land;
       provides that mineral tenement holders have the equivalent of an ‘interest or estate’ in relation
        to other tenement grants coexisting on the same area of land;
       creates a new report requirement for final reports to be provided by mineral tenement holders
        at the end of the tenure of the tenement;
       removes the requirement for mandatory quarterly returns for licensees, with a provision for the
        Director of Mines to require more regular reporting should it be deemed required;
       clarifies the requirement for an applicant for a mineral tenement to hold valid public liability
        insurance prior to the grant of a mineral tenement;
       removes the provision for an applicant for a mining lease to provide the Director with ‘sufficient
        information relating to the likely impact in the environment’ to reduce duplication of process;
       allows the Minister to vary the mineral category(s) on existing lease conditions;
       provides that a valid compensation agreement between a lessee and the owner of land remains
        valid if that land is sold;
       allows for an extended licence validity of up to five years from one year for prospecting licences
        to remove administrative burdens and red tape;
       extends the rights to compensation for impacts as a result of exploration or mining operations
        to apply to holders of a forestry right under the Forestry Rights Registration Act 1990;
       clarifies the Ministers ability to vary the amount of security deposit held in relation to a mineral
        tenement;
       includes a provision to withhold part of the provided security deposit for non-compliance with
        licence conditions;
       clarifies a range of provisions and powers in the Act to reflect existing practices, remove potential
        ambiguities and correct typographical errors; and
       amends the Forest Management Act 2013 to correct an error regarding the availability of three
        ex Forest Reserves (Alma Tiers Conservation Area, Lake Pieman Regional Reserve and Dismal
        Swamp Regional Reserve) under the Mineral Resources Development Act 1995.
 
 

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