MINING REHABILITATION —
WETLANDS
477. Hon DIANE EVERS to the minister representing the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the revegetation of
historical wetlands sites and the creation of new wetlands sites that is being
undertaken by the Blackwood Basin Group at the Greenbushes Talison Lithium
mining lease site.
(1) Does the
Mining Act 1978 and other relevant Western Australian legislation provide scope
for rehabilitation of mining voids by creating wetlands at other lease sites in
Western Australia?
(2) If yes to
(1), will the minister detail the sections of the Mining Act 1978 and other
legislation that provide the possibility of this form of rehabilitation?
(3) If no to (1), why not?
(4) Will the minister consider
legislative changes that —
(a) better support
innovative approaches to mine void rehabilitation that can achieve social,
economic and/or environmental co-benefits; and
(b) better
support community collaboration in determining the best use of land, including
the possibility of creating wetlands?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the honourable member for
the question. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum has provided the following
information.
(1) Yes.
(2) Section 70O of the Mining Act
1978 for the purposes of division 3 of part IV of that act.
(3) Not applicable.
(4) (a)–(b)
The current provisions of the Mining Act provide for innovation in accordance
with the stakeholder-agreed land uses.