CMPA NEWS (Issue 46)

By ROGER BUCKLEY

The Secretariat has been sett ling into the busy schedule and doing lots more than just organising the CMPA AGM and Annual Dinner.

ANNUAL DINNER NEWS FLASH

Would you like a happy snap of you and your friends all dressed up for the Annual Dinner? Photos from the night are available to be downloaded free of charge from www.actionpix.com.au/CMPA09.

High resolution, printable versions of the photos can also be emailed to you. Please contact the Secretariat with the photo reference number from the website to arrange this.

CROWN LAND LEASES

Members who operate on Crown Land should note that recent amendments to the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 will implement increases in the maximum lease term for major projects on Crown Land from 21 to 65 years.

The change was introduced to provide business and tourism investors with greater certainty when choosing to operate on Crown Land. Longer lease terms on Crown Land will not be automatic, but could be granted if applicants meet set criteria.

The amendments will be supported by a revised commercial leasing policy which will be released shortly by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

eLEARNING FUNDING BID

CMPA together with FinPa New Media (eLearning and IT development specialists) were successful in their Stage 1 funding bid to Multimedia Victoria for funding to develop eLearning material to support the delivery of extractive industry Certifi cate II and III training units.

Over 240 projects were assessed as part of the Stage 1 funding and CMPA/FinPa was one of 40 projects invited to submit a detailed Business Plan as part of the Stage 2 assessment.

It is expected CMPA will be notified in late September on the outcome of this bid. If this bid is successful, CMPA looks forward to working with members, training providers, Government and FinPa to further enhance the training and education experience of members.

SUBMISSION ON THE NEW PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT ACT 1987

Gaining planning approval under the Planning & Environment Act 1987 is a key milestone in starting or expanding any quarry. As part of the review of this Act, Government has suggested changes to the Act such as improving the operation of the planning permit process and introducing a new procedure for the consideration of projects to be declared as state significant major developments.

If you wish to provide comments on these proposals, please send them to the Secretariat so that we can compile them into the one submission from the CMPA to the Planning and Environment Act Review.

DPI INFORMATION DAYS

Th e DPI Information Days held across Victoria in August aimed to inform industry of the recent changes in the extractive industry legislation and for industry to provide comments on the future direction of the new combined mining/extractive industries legislation.

The seminars provided a positive consultative forum for a constructive exchange of views. DPI certainly heard loud and clear from CMPA members their specific perspective on various key issues.

Let’s hope DPI was listening.

CMPA MEMBERSHIP

Our sincere thanks to all Members who have renewed their membership – without your support the CMPA could not continue its valuable work.

It would be appreciated if all outstanding renewals could be completed by the end of October.

Any readers who are not yet Members should join up to receive the full benefit of joining the Association or pay the $40 annual subscription to continue to receive Sand & Stone.

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR SMALL QUARRIES

From 1st July 2009, new quarries less than 5 hectares in area and less than 5 metres in depth, provided that no blasting or native vegetation clearance occurs, are exempt from conducting operations according to an approved Work Plan.

Instead, new operations will be required to comply with the Code of Practice for Small Quarries. This Code is currently a working document with DPI willing to receive comments on the Code prior to 16th November.

If you have used the Code and wish to provide comments, please send them to the Secretariat so that we can compile them into the one submission from the CMPA to DPI.

Copies of the Code can be downloaded from http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/earth-resources

GOOGLE EARTH FOR EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

Most people have used Google Earth to get a satellite’s view of their own home or quarry site. DPI’s GeoVic is a similar online mapping computer application that allows you to view on the computer map just about everything you wanted to know about your current or future quarry site.

GeoVic allows you to search, display, print and download all sorts of mapping information that is useful for the extractive industry professional.

Types of data include:

• Work Authority areas
• Extractive Industry Interest Areas
• Council Planning Schemes
• Roads, rivers, railways and contours
• Crown and private land boundaries
• Property addresses
• Geology
• Drill holes
• Aerial photos around Melbourne and selected regional centres
• Satellite images
• Digital terrain images
• Aboriginal Heritage information
• National & State Parks

For further information regarding GeoVic please email mbc.info@dpi.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 9658 4574.

Visit www.dpi.vic.gov.au/minpet/geovic and make your own maps.

THE FUTURE COMPETITIVENESS OF EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY

The CMPA is in the final stages of completing the report that highlights the regulatory burden placed on extractive industry operators when they apply for a new Work Authority or an extension to an existing operation. An Unsustainable Future: The Prohibitive Costs of Securing Extractive Industry Access in Victoria report presents the findings from a study of nine industry participants who have recently undergone the Work Authority approval process.

The report highlights how the increasing cost of securing access to resources and the ever increasing time to gain approvals with no certainty of outcomes is leading to sterilisation of valuable resources from future use and a reduction in investment in securing new resources over time. Future actions for Government are listed to address the many issues raised in the report.

This report will provide valuable data to ensure CMPA members issues are heard by Government. Thanks to all Members who have contributed to this report. A summary of the report will be presented in the next edition of Sand & Stone.

2009 STRZELECKI AWARDS

The 2009 Strzelecki Awards were presented by Peter Batchelor, Minister for Energy and Resources at a ceremony at the Hilton on the Park Hotel on Monday 17th August.

The awards were created by DPI to recognise excellence and innovation in sustainable development within the Victorian earth resources.

The award winners were:

Medium Sized Earth Resource Operation
Imerys Minerals Australia for its water recycling scheme and community facility development at its kaolin clay pit at Pittong.

Large Earth Resource Operation
Golder Associates & Austral Bricks Company for their rehabilitation and redevelopment at the Scoresby brickworks and quarry.

Exploration Projects
Iluka Resources for managing exploration in an environmentally sensitive forest area in the Wimmera.

No nominees were selected as finalists in the Small Earth Resource Operation category.

GUARDING WORKSHOP

As reported in the previous magazine, a Guarding Workshop will be held on 8th October to look at the obligations of operators, raise the level of knowledge of industry participants on the issues around guarding and to develop industry agreed best practices. This will help to develop CMPA industry OH&S reference material as well as WorkSafe guidance material.

Members should have received their invitations to the workshop. Details of the event are:

Date: Thursday 8th October
Time: 12 Noon to 4pm (includes light lunch)
Venue: Quality Hotel Melbourne Airport, 265 Mickleham Road, Tullamarine
Cost: $40 CMPA Members $60 others

The Workshop will include a presentation by WorkSafe. If you have been involved in conducting a risk assessment covering this issue and would like to present your findings, please contact the Secretariat.

Participants are asked to bring photos that illustrate the issues around guarding, particularly if they demonstrate any risk or hazard to assist with discussions.

RECENT EVENTS

Roger attended the DPI Information Day in Melbourne with CMPA Management Committee and Members attending this and other Information Days in the regional centres across Victoria.

Detailed submission made to DPI on the review of the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990. Members viewpoints made at the DPI Information Days were reinforced in the written submission. A BIG thank you to Members who assisted in the development of the submission.

Representatives from the CMPA Management Committee, Secretariat and Members met with the Shadow Ministers for Planning Matthew Guy and Industry and State Development, Richard Dalla-Riva at Parliament House to discuss the issues around the changes to the extractive industries legislation. Detailed discussions were held around the Work Authority approvals process and the implications to housing affordability.

Roger met with the Office of the Minister for Energy & Resources to discuss the issues around the changes to the extractive industries legislation.

Met with the Federal Government’s Enterprise Connect program to discuss how CMPA members can access assistance.

Submitted detailed funding bid to Multimedia Victoria for a pilot project to develop eLearning training material.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login