CMPA General Meeting

ELIZABETH GIBSON, General Manager for CMPA provides an update on the General Meeting held in Attwood.

Following a very successful workshop earlier in the day, a general meeting of members was held at the Best Western Hotel, Attwood 23 May 2024.

Presentations were given by Matt Vincent CEO Earth Resources DEECA and Ben Wright Manager Earth Resources and Silica, WorkSafe Victoria.

Matt covered a number of topics:
• Resources Victoria Strategy;
• Quarry Material and Approvals –status update;
• Quarry approvals pipeline;
• Rehabilitation bonds and
• Resources Victoria Compliance Priorities 2024-25.

Resources Victoria Compliance Priorities 2024-25
Protecting community, infrastructure and the environment

Tailings storage

Preventing the spread of harmful material into the environment
• Tailings storage facilities and slimes dams built to approved requirements
• Monitoring, maintenance, reporting and management is in accordance with relevant guidelines

Community impacts

Addressing local community concerns about loss of amenity
• Authority holders comply with conditions and are effectively managing potential impacts on community, including dust, vibration and noise
• Authority holders actively engage with their community to address concerns raised
• Corrective action is taken where non-compliance is identified

Over extraction

Avoiding extraction of materials beyond approved limits
• Extraction is within the approved area – extent and depth profile
• Focus on compliance with final approved batter angle to control rehabilitation liability
• Not deferring corrective action until the end of quarry/mine life

Rehabilitation

Ensuring liability for abandoned quarries and mines does not fall to the Victorian community
• Authority holders can demonstrate effective progressive rehabilitation
• Quarries and mines have sufficient rehabilitation bonds
• Mining licence holders are financially capable as well as fit and proper against well-defined criteria

Latrobe Valley coal mines

Managing complex rehabilitation of declared mines
• Rehabilitation plans developed in line with guidance and standards
• Bonds reviewed and progressive rehabilitation undertaken

• Effective risk management to ensure mine stability and safety, and compliance with complex requirements
• Use of notices for non-compliance with approvals or risks that are not being appropriately managed and cannot be immediately rectified
• Targeted compliance inspections on priority areas or where we believe harm may be occurring
• Public communication about the regulator’s use of notices, enforcement and other regulatory action
• Ensuring that the concerns of the local community are heard and addressed by the authority holder
• Deliberate non-compliance resulting in increased risk of harm or unfair financial gain will be prioritised for enforcement or prosecution

WorkSafe – Regulator focus 2023/24
Ben presented on:
• 2023-24 Corporate Plan;
• Quarry incidents and trends; and
• 2023 Silica interventions.

2023 Silica Intervention

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