Defining the Role of Tenement Managers, Mining Lawyers, and Environmental Consultants
September 19, 2022
September – October 2022 Updates
November 1, 2022
David Salim
Group CEO & Principal Solicitor, Hetherington
Board Member,
Barker Henley Global
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
As Spring hits, we welcome you to another edition of our popular Hetherington Post, detailing the latest in Tenement News, Mining Law and Environmental Approvals.
In this edition, we provide a breakdown of the various government grants available to exploration and mining projects across each state, with upcoming deadlines as early as October 31 2022.
It is good to see that these government support initiatives will now be supplemented by a newly announced $50.5 million which will go towards helping unlock our critical minerals potential through the establishment of the Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub. Other updates include a summary of changes to the community consultation policy in NSW and the NSW regulator’s compliance priorities which have just been released.
In our practical “How to Tools” section we provide a summary of the various Australian Tenement Terms and Obligations across each state and territory in Australia. At Hetherington, with offices across the country and a team of qualified lawyers, environmental experts and tenement managers dealing with approvals in each state, we are continuously struck by the many nuances and complexities faced by exploration and mining companies in managing their tenure across borders. Hopefully this tool will come in handy.
In other news, the team at Hetherington has spent an enjoyable last few months reconnecting with colleagues at various industry events, from NSW Mineral Council’s HSEC conference in the Hunter Valley and AMEC’s Boardroom lunch with the Hon. Deputy NSW Premier, Paul Toole to Diggers & Dealers in Kalgoorlie and the 2022 Australian Nickel Conference In Perth.
Finally, the Hetherington team is looking forward to presenting at the 4th Annual Indian Coal Conference in New Delhi in November on “India and Australia, A Great Partnership in Mining” and promoting the many benefits of investing in exploration and mining in Australia. Stay tuned for more on this!
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT INITIATIVES
Attracting investment into Australia’s resources sector is a high priority for the Australian federal, state and territory governments. It is recognised government initiatives support the long-term sustainability of the resources sector by encouraging exploration and discovery, particularly in under-explored regions. Have you considered your eligibility for the range of initiatives currently available?
RECENT REGULATORY UPDATES
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
Key Takeaways
The Department of Regional NSW (‘the Department’) – Division of Mining, Exploration and Geoscience (‘MEG’) has introduced changes to the requirements for community consultant reports, as established in the Exploration Code of Practice: Community Consultation (March 2016), the Guideline for community consultation requirements for exploration (March 2016) and the Exploration Guideline: Annual activity reporting for prospecting titles (December 2020) in an effort to improve access to information and enhance transparency.
REGULATOR’S COMPLIANCE PRIORITIES RELEASED
Key Takeaways
The NSW Resources Regulator has released its compliance priorities for July to December 2022. These compliance priorities set out the Regulator’s activities for the next six-month period, including its assessment programs, strategic programs, investigation priorities and workshop and seminar timetables.
HOW TO TOOLS
SUMMARY OF AUSTRALIAN TENEMENT OBLIGATIONS