From the Secretariat (Issue 117)

New Annual Reporting requirements 2020-21

DR ELIZABETH GIBSON, CMPA General Manager

Under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) (Extractive Industries) Regulations 2019, additional reporting requirements apply to work authority holders from the 2020-21 financial year.

These include providing the:
• most recent stone resources estimate for the work authority,
• density of the stone before extraction,
• stratigraphic unit of the stone, and
• maximum depth of extraction of the stone.

ERR has a substantial set of quality annual rock reporting statistics going back decades with CMPA being concerned that the veracity of the data will be lost unless great care is taken with the changes put in place by ERR. Additionally, it is feared that the stone resource estimates will be taken out of context when ensuring replenishment of supply of construction material which should be on the approved reserve in the extraction limits.

There has been a fair bit of back and forth between CMPA and ERR regarding the explanatory material that has been developed by ERR with very limited opportunity for CMPA to have input. Some areas that were questioned were, for example,
• The veracity of the density of stone supplied in guidance from ERR.
• The requirement for all work authority holders to use RRAM from January 2022 despite a new management system being developed RMSVIC for July 2022.

• A resource estimate is about what is approved for extraction or within the Extractive Limits, not expanded to the WA boundary. This will be greatly impacted by the site’s mitigating factors including, but not limited to Extractive Limits, percentage saleable, water table, stone quality, percentage overburden, sensitive receptors, ground stability assessments.
• Estimated quantities should identify if in-situ figures are being
sought.
• Future supply will not be defined with a resource. Although in the MRSD Regulations it has been written as such, every attempt should be made to collect reserves.
• Production reporting should not have been changed this year
(2020/21) except for additional columns to allow for the 5 common Product Types (note RRAM only allows for 4 Common product types and there are no funds to make the necessary changes) of the common Rock Types.

Annual reports for work authorities, for the 12 months ending 30 June 2021, are to be submitted to Earth Resources Regulation by no later than 31 July 2021. Any queries about the process can be addressed to ERRFeedback@ecodev.vic.gov.au or calling 1300 366 356 (if you cannot get through, please ring CMPA).

The good news is that there is no longer a requirement for a statutory
declaration!

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