Online annual returns – are you ready?

Earth Resources Regulation is putting the call out to all quarry authority holders to get ready to submit their annual reports and royalty returns for the 2022/23 reporting period – online.

Information collected through the reporting process provides valuable knowledge about Victoria’s quarry supply and is critical for industry and government planning for resource extraction. It is important that information is submitted on time to enable Earth Resources Regulation to provide aggregated data and insights back to industry, and for authority holders to avoid infringements.

From this year all annual return submissions need to be submitted online via the Resources Rights Allocation and Management (RRAM) portal. Reports or returns are no longer being accepted via email or post.

Like many organisations moving to online transactions, more than 85 per cent of work authority holders submitted their 202122 annual reports online. This year Earth Resources Regulation is striving for 100 per cent online submissions and are stepping up their engagement with industry to help reach this goal.

For those operators who have not yet made the transition to online reporting or who may have forgotten their RRAM log-in details, help is available by contacting the RRAM Support team at RRAM.Support@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

Earth Resources Regulation also has a series of tutorial videos on their website to guide operators through setting up their RRAM account, managing log-in details and passwords, and completing annual returns. Visit earthresources.vic.gov.au and search ‘Tutorial for the Resources Rights Allocation and Management (RRAM) portal’ to locate these videos.

Once an operator’s access to RRAM is confirmed they are encouraged to check that their contact details are correct, ideally prior to the end of May 2023: https://rram-vic-gov.my.site.com/CommunitiesLogin

Earth Resources Regulation’s Manager Specialist Services, Stephen Arnott told Sand and Stone Magazine that the regulator would be reaching out to some quarry operators directly to help get them online.

“To ensure all work authority holders are equipped to submit online, we are writing to operators and will be calling those that didn’t use RRAM last year to understand if there might be a reason why, and to assist them through this process,” Mr Arnott explained.

“We are also aiming to improve the quality of data submitted through annual returns by providing fact sheets and livestream sessions to walk through the submission process and provide an opportunity for operators to ask questions.”

“To answer some queries already raised by industry, yes, upon submitting an annual report or royalty return, operators or their agent or representative should receive a system notification stating that the submission has been successfully received.”

“And while we ask quarry operators to group their products into four categories (only) through RRAM, an excel spreadsheet with more detailed information can be attached to a submission. These and other enquiries will be discussed at the information sessions. Keep an eye out for more information about these sessions and start preparing your questions now,” Mr Arnott said.

Authority holders also have the option to use a third party – such as an industry agent, tax agent, accountant or even a family member – to help them submit their returns. This involves providing their nominated third party with access to RRAM, which can be arranged by submitting a request via email to licensing.err@ecodev.vic.gov.au

“Online reporting benefits authority holders, the broader industry and Earth Resources Regulation in multiple ways,” Mr Arnott said.

“Benefits for authority holders include less back and forth about illegible, incorrect, or missing data, and less risk of their returns being lost in the mail. Industry also benefits from more timely access to industry-wide statistics.”

Any authority holder that experiences difficulties in submitting their 2022-23 annual report or return by the due date can request an extension. Requests need to be made in writing stating the reason and emailed to returns.err@ecodev.vic.gov.au before the due date for submitting an annual return. Note that extension requests are not automatically approved and may be declined if not supported by a relevant reason.

If further assistance is required, operators should contact Earth Resources Regulation at RRAM.Support@ecodev.vic.gov.au. The regulator is also planning to set up a dedicated hotline to field questions about annual reporting. More information about this is expected closer to the annual reporting date.

Earth Resources Regulation welcomes ongoing feedback from quarry operators about annual reporting and other matters at ERRFeedback@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

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