About 5,000 exploration, tenure and mining approvals were sitting in the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation And Safety’s pipeline at the end of the September quarter last year, according to the department’s latest approvals performance data.
About 5,000 exploration, tenure and mining approvals were sitting in the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation And Safety’s pipeline at the end of the September quarter last year, according to the department’s latest approvals performance data.
That figure was 1 per cent higher than at the beginning of the period.
In all, 1,458 prospecting licence applications were carried over from the prior quarter, with 398 new submissions, 198 finalised and a further 73 refused, lapsed, rejected or withdrawn.
Of the 198 licences resolved, 167 were within the targeted 65-day timeline.
However, 1,658 permit applications remained on the books.
The backlog for other permit types, such as exploration licences, is slowly reducing.
Complicating the issue is that the approval clock is restarted every time the department returns an application to a proponent, so the department’s headline numbers on timeframe goals don’t necessarily correlate with the experience of businesses.
One industry executive told Business News there was often an extended process of responses and counter-replies between businesses and DMIRS.
“It can go on and on, and you never really know when you can get to the end of the line with their rebuttals,” the executive said.
A representative for the state government said there had been special circumstances behind the delays.
“(Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Johnston) has been advised by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) that the backlog of applications outside the timeline – particularly for prospecting and exploration licences – is within the Kalgoorlie Mining Registrar’s administration area," she said.
“A number of extenuating circumstances, including staff recruitment, have contributed to this situation.
“DMIRS is working to resolve the situation.
"The department appointed a new Kalgoorlie Mining Registrar late last year and is directing the necessary resources to address the backlog.”
Chamber of Minerals and Energy chief executive Paul Everingham said as the industry picked up, the department would need to improve efficiency.
He said there had been a noticeable increase in assessment timeframes across multiple departments.
Mr Everingham expressed concern that Western Australia had dropped its ranking in the annual Fraser Institute survey of resources jurisdictions, and said the chamber would work proactively with government for solutions.
“The resources sector has incurred a 14 per cent increase in environmental licensing costs for 2017-18 ... to raise new funds for additional resources, as well as other new fees, so CME will be keen to see the performance improvements from these,” Mr Everingham said.
