The West Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum has seen consistent levels of environmental compliance in WA.
The number of compliance activities carried out has increased by 200 per cent year on year, which includes the review of Annual Environmental Reports (AER), desktop sites and Mining Rehabilitation Fund audits, and onsite inspections.
DMP executive director environment, Dr. Phil Gorey, said the level of environmental compliance in the state is reassuring, however the industry and the government can not rest on their laurels and must remain vigilant, especially in this current phase of the commodity cycle.
“The increase in recent compliance activity comes from a shift in the division’s focus to risk-based assessment and increased compliance monitoring to ensure industry business systems and risks to the environment are being well managed,” Gorey said.
“The introduction of Mining Proposal reform will further enhance DMP’s capacity to increase its compliance and provide assurance to the community that the mining industry is meeting the community’s expectations.
“The change in focus is part of the Reforming Environmental Regulation program the department has been implementing since 2013.”