No. Mining operations at a private mine are regulated under the Mining Act 1971. Mining operations at a private mine must not be undertaken unless a mine operation plan (MOP) is in place and it is approved by the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM).
As with all mining operations, private mine owners must undertake environmental impact assessments and manage the impact of their mining by implementing appropriate management strategies.
A MOP sets out how objectives, strategies and criteria will work together to manage potential impacts on the environment throughout all stages of mining, including final rehabilitation. A MOP review must include:
- environmental objectives that must be achieved
- control strategies and management plans for avoiding, mitigating or controlling potential impacts, and ensuring environmental objectives can be achieved
- criteria for demonstrating that environmental objectives have been achieved, and a clear monitoring and reporting framework for measurement of operations against the criteria
- relevant obligations to be followed under other legislation, eg requirements under the Environment Protection Act 1993.
Potential impacts that are identified in the assessment must be mitigated, controlled with appropriate management strategies, and reported on annually. The MOP review must also address the requirements of any other relevant environment improvement program or environment protection policies under the Environment Protection Act 1993. Additionally, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regulates any relevant requirements of an environment improvement program or environment protection policies. SafeWork SA regulate Work Health and Safety (Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA) on mine sites as well as matters relating to the use, transport and storage of explosives (Explosives Act 1936) and the storage, transport and use of dangerous substances (Dangerous Substances Act 1979).
