Today the State Government announced that the validity period for Programmes of Work (PoW) has been increased from two to four years. The new validity period will apply to any PoW approved from today onwards, but will not apply to existing PoWs.
- The change will be implemented by the Department of Mines and Petroleum through amendments to its administrative procedures, including its PoW guidelines. Other than the validity period, the PoW requirements and processes remain unchanged.
- Sections 46, 63 and 82 of the Mining Act 1978 require a licence holder to lodge a PoW and obtain Ministerial or Prescribed Official approval prior to conducting any ground disturbing activities with mechanised equipment. The change to the validity period will be actioned through a change to the Department of Mines and Petroleum policy for processing PoWs.
- The new period of validity will only apply where the scope of the exploration or prospecting work remains unchanged. Any alterations or expansion of PoW approved activities will still require a new PoW application to be lodged and approved.
- The validity period was altered from one to two years at the end of last year and the latest extension follows further feedback from stakeholders.
- Minister Bill Marmion considers that the extended period will improve efficiency, reduce the number of PoWs requiring annual review and provide companies with more scope to accommodate unforeseen access, weather and funding delays.
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