Mining proposal

You must ensure your application meets all of the form and content requirements specified in the Statutory Guidelines for Mining Proposals. Your application must have all the information necessary to support the DMIRS assessment process. 

Before lodgement, you should ask to meet with a DMIRS officer to ensure you have met all the requirements. This will help minimise any potential assessment delays.

Relevant documents:

Legislation - Mining Act 1978

Legislation - Statutory Guidelines for Mining Proposals

Legislation - Statutory Guidelines for Mine Closure Plans

Procedure - Environmental Applications Administrative Procedures

Guidelines – Aboriginal Heritage Survey Assistance Program

You must refer to the lodge and validate process for the approval type you are seeking. Click on the links below for the specific details on each approval types:

• Mining proposal
• Programme of Work 
• Native vegetation clearing
• EPA referral and assessment
• Emissions and Discharges
• Water  
• Aboriginal heritage
• Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
• Commonwealth

If the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is assessing your application, you can still submit your other applications. These will be parallel processed where possible. However, other agencies must withhold their final decision until the Ministerial Statement has been issued or the EPA decides not to assess the proposal.
 

Once received, DEMIRS will allocate your application to an environmental officer for assessment. The officer may then need to do the following:

1. Request further information
   
   You may be asked for further information or to clarify some content. If so, the officer will write to the designated contact on the application. These requests are a ‘stop-the-clock’ event. 
    

The officer may need to do this when:

• Make referrals and requests for advice to other agencies
  • they require expert information to inform their assessment 
  • there is a trigger that invokes consultation in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or administrative agreement (AA) with another agency (see the relevant MOUs and AAs on the DMIRS website).

Referrals or requests for advice from other agencies are a ‘stop-the-clock’ event. 

Planning for approvals

Parallel processing can help reduce a mining project’s overall approval timeline. DEMIRS and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) are committed to parallel processing of environmental applications where multiple approvals are required. 

If your proposal is being assessed under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA), DEMIRS will parallel process the mining proposal assessment. You should know that DEMIRS cannot decide on an application until either the Minister for Environment sends notification that decision-making authorities may exercise their decision-making powers, or the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) decides not to assess the proposal. 

DEMIRS will also parallel process applications but withhold its decision where:

• the tenement conditions require consultation and agreement with any other agency 
• consent or clearance must be sought under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) when there is an impact to a heritage site
• the Minister must consent to entry to reserves or other restricted lands
• a mining lease application sent with the mining proposal has not yet been granted.

Relevant documents

Procedure - Environmental Applications Administrative Procedures

Website links

• Minerals policies and agreements
• EARS Online (Environmental Assessment and Regulatory System)

DEMIRS will notify you about its decision in writing.

If approved, your letter will include any conditions you must adhere to. 

If your application is refused, your letter will state the reasons for the decision. 

When you receive your approval letter, you can proceed. You must meet any conditions stated in the letter, which may include submission of an Annual Environmental Report.