Changes to Annual Reporting Requirements

DR ELIZABETH GIBSON, General Manager of CMPA reports on the changes to the Annual Reporting Requirements.

Earth Resources Regulation’s (ERR) Annual Reporting Requirements are now due as per the following: an extract from the Earth Resources Regulation (ERR) Industry Newsletter June 2020 below.

Lodge your annual returns

Annual returns on exploration, mining, quarrying and other activities are due to be submitted to Earth Resources Regulation by 28 July 2020.

Lodging an annual return is a regulatory obligation and penalties apply for non-compliance.

In response to COVID-19 restrictions, Earth Resources Regulation offices are currently closed and staff are working from home. Please submit all annual returns via the RRAM portal (https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/licensing-approvals) or Earth Resources Regulation email (returns.err@ecodev.vic.gov.au).

We look forward to receiving your annual returns at your earliest convenience.

If you have any questions or need help lodging your return, please contact us (https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us, phone: 1300 366 356 (between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday))

The changes to the Annual Reporting Requirements occurred with the introduction of the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) (Extractive Industries) Regulations 2019 as detailed below in the ERR fact sheet “Changes to the extractive Industries Regulations Annual Reporting Requirements”.

The changes do not come into force until 1 July 2021, but work authority holders will need to prepare.

Annual reporting requirements for reporting dates in the financial year commencing 1 July 2020 and subsequent years are changing for extractive industry work authority holders.

What are the changes?

For annual reports relating to the financial year commencing 1 July 2020 (and subsequent years), there are minor changes to annual reporting requirements, including the following:

• Reporting requirements are set out in the regulations, not the schedules to the regulations.
• Reporting must be completed within 31 days after the end of each financial year.
  • If an extractive industry work authority ceases to be in effect, reporting must be completed within 31 days.
  • In some circumstances an extension may be granted.
• Annual reports must include resource estimates of the amount of resource available for extraction as well as production data.
• Annual reports must include the density of the material before extraction, the stratigraphic unit and the maximum depth of extraction.
• A statutory declaration will no longer be required.

Who do the changes impact?

All extractive industry work authority holders.

What do I have to do differently?

Annual reports relating to the financial year commencing 1 July 2019 are not impacted by these changes and the previous requirements continue to apply.

For annual reports relating to the financial year commencing 1 July 2020, updated templates for reporting will be available on the Resource Rights Allocation and Management system (RRAM) and our website.

Figure 1 below gives the production and royalty returns’ statistics for Work Authorities for 2018-19 (source ERR). It gives an indication of the action being taken by ERR to ensure that Annual Reporting Requirements are met. As can be seen from the Figure below 9% of work authority holders were issued with an infringement notice.

Members will be informed as further information becomes available on the new annual reporting requirements (from 1 July 2021).

For further information
earthresources.vic.gov.au/extractivesregs
You can also subscribe to Earth Resources Regulation’s email newsletter by visiting earthresources.vic.gov.au/about-us/newsletters.
This document is available in an accessible form at earthresources.vic.gov.au/extractivesregs

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