Government Taskforce

Identifying extractive resources

Dr Elizabeth Gibson reports on the recent Minerals Development Victoria (MDV) meeting.

ELIZABETH Gibson met with Anthony Hurst (Executive Director, Earth Resources Development), Adrian Panow and Fiona Clarke of Department of State Development, Business and Innovation (DSDBI) in Melbourne on the 4 March 2014.

The meeting was to discuss implementation of aspects of the Government response to the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee Inquiry into greenfields mineral exploration and project development in Victoria, namely the identification of extractive resources under recommendation 7.

“As part of an integrated state-wide strategic land use framework, that the Victorian Government ensures studies are undertaken to determine areas of high prospectively for extractives and , future extractive needs in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria”.

The Government supports this recommendation and recognises the importance of maintaining the appropriate access to extractive resources while supporting the ongoing development and best use of Victoria’s land.

The Government will establish a taskforce to identify current resources and future needs for extractives. Representatives will be from the extractives industry and the government (DSDBI and the Department of transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure).

The taskforce is to oversee independent studies to quantify resources and estimate future needs. This may be an issue for CMPA members in that any studies are being “co-funded” with industry. A key focus of this taskforce will be to ensure that the studies provide robust information which can be used to develop recommendations for the active management of resources.

For example, gain an understanding of current reserves and then undertake forward projections going out 20-50 years to determine the tonnage required. Initially a draft terms of reference will be circulated.

Also discussed was Minerals Development Victoria (MDV). The Government is setting up MDV (within DSDBI) which will facilitate the Work Authority process and commences on 10 March 2014.

MDV will be the link between investors and the Victorian Government agencies. There will be more on MDV in the next issue of Sand & Stone (Issue 74).

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