The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) has started a trial of the Eligible Mining Activity (EMA) Framework.
Under the EMA Framework, an EMA notice will provide mining tenement holders with an alternative form of authorisation to undertake certain minimal ground disturbance activities, known as eligible mining activities.
The trial allows the department to evaluate the EMA regulations, including the criteria for what constitutes an eligible activity, which were finalised after an eight-week consultation period.
See the Response to Submissions here.
See the consultation draft of the EMA regulations here , incorporating material provided to DEMIRS through the public submission process.
During the trial, the department will assess Programmes of Work applications that meet the eligibility criteria of an EMA within one business day through the new approvals system Resources Online.
The framework is expected to come into effect later this year. Following the trial and the framework's implementation, mining tenement holders can receive authorisation for these activities by lodging an EMA Notice to the department.
The department appreciates the feedback received from industry stakeholders to date and will continue to review of the framework regularly to ensure it is functioning as intended.
