A report has lauded the effectiveness of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in Western Australia.

The state’s Department of Treasury’s Better Regulation Unit (BRU) has informed the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) that the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Regulations (MRF) 2013 was performing strongly.

The Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the MRF focused on whether the objectives of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012 (MRF Act) were being achieved.

It also explored if the MRF remains an appropriate, effective and efficient method of ensuring that funds are available for mine site rehabilitation, even if the responsible tenement holder(s) cannot be identified or pursued.

DMIRS’ Resource and Environmental Compliance (REC) Acting Executive Director Karen Caple said a wide range of stakeholders were consulted for the review including tenement holders, tenement service agencies, industry peak bodes, legal advisors, environmental consultants, non-government agencies and the Mining Rehabilitation Advisory Panel (MRAP).

“The PIR report concluded that there is strong stakeholder support for the MRF despite the program being in its infancy and that the fund is performing well against its stated objectives,” Ms Caple said.

The PIR report also identified a number of areas for potential improvement including:

• review the contribution rate;
• consider the number of Rehabilitation Liability Estimate (RLE) categories;
• review the reporting requirements for mining tenure with multiple holders;
• and review mine-site rehabilitation completion criteria under the Mining Act 1978.

“The department is committed to working with its stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of the fund’s administration. The statutory review, which is scheduled to take place in 2022, is an opportune time to consider any changes to the funding model, such as the contribution rates and RLE categories” Ms Caple said.

The PIR Report can be found here and the BRU’s letter of compliance here.