The mineral titles approvals process in Western Australia has been the subject of criticism for a number of years. Since 2003, the State Government has committed $37.4 million to improving and streamlining this process. Despite this, in October 2008 the Auditor General announced that even though agencies have implemented the key initiatives, so far none of the intended improvements have eventuated.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore has recently said that his priority will be to look at dramatically overhauling the current "unwieldy" approvals process and providing greater certainty and confidence in the mining and resources sector in Western Australia.

Already the industry is seeing a number of governmental changes being implemented. On 1 January 2009, the new Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) came into existence, created from a restructure of the previous Department of Industry and Resources and the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. One of DMP's major priorities for 2009 is to significantly improve the approvals process. It will work with other government agencies to improve its use of delegations and parallel processing for environmental approvals, as well as working to streamline matters relating to Aboriginal heritage and Native Title. DMP also plans to ensure that elements of the approvals process that are within its jurisdiction are acted on in a timely and efficient manner.

As well as the new DMP, Mr Moore announced in November 2008 that he had set up a 12-member industry working group to focus and advise on ways to improve the State's exploration and development approvals process. The group will advise the State Government on how the approvals process can be streamlined. It is hoped the group will provide a strategic review of Western Australia's approvals processes, to make them "more efficient and more welcoming" for exploration and development activity.

The group will be chaired by Peter Jones, a former Resources Minister, with former Mines Minister John Bowler as Deputy Chairman. They will be joined by members of the mining and resources industry including representatives from Apache Energy, BHP Billiton and The Griffin Group.

The group's objectives are, among other things, to:

  • understand existing approvals processes (environmental, tenure, planning, Native Title and Aboriginal heritage) and the timelines associated with these processes;
  • understand the impediments, overlap and duplication that may occur across State and Commonwealth agencies;
  • identify which impediments can be addressed through changes to government policies and administrative processes and those which will require legislative change;
  • develop a framework to ensure better co-ordination across agencies, including provisions to ensure decision-making within specified timeframes;
  • suggest mechanisms for the review of decisions; and
  • provide a schedule for implementation of the necessary changes.

The Minister has said that he expects to receive a final report by the end of April 2009. In a difficult economic climate, it is hoped that this industry working group, as well as the new DMP, will help to achieve administrative streamlining to encourage investment, while at the same time maintaining adequate regulatory standards in all areas.

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