Check a mining development and closure proposal before lodgement
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the draft proposal and the lodgement record, list whether another proposal for the same mining environmental group is still open, whether the tenements are live, and whether the draft addresses mining operations, decommissioning, rehabilitation and closure outcomes. List the date 9 September 2025 against the date of lodgement. Do not write the proposal.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer settles the proposal and decides whether it can be lodged. The Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration frequently asked questions state that the mining development and closure proposal and approvals statement framework commences on 9 September 2025, when the Mining Amendment Act 2022 comes into effect. A proposal lodged before that date was a mining proposal, including a mine closure plan, under the guidelines then in force. Section 103AN(3)(d) of the Mining Act 1978 requires a proposal to include detailed information on the mining operations, decommissioning, rehabilitation and closure outcomes, and any prescribed information. The page says a proposal that follows the old mining proposal and mine closure plan guidelines will be declined. The prescribed detail is in the Mining Regulations 1981 and in the department's guideline. That guideline was not opened, so the lawyer checks it before lodgement. Only one proposal for a mining environmental group can be open at a time. An approvals statement is issued only for live tenements. Tenement holders do not need to submit a proposal to seek approval for existing activities, and an existing operation can continue under its existing Mining Act approvals. A proposal can cover only new mining activities or changes, and the approvals statement then relates to those activities. Whether a spatial extension should describe the whole feature is decided case by case, and the page generally recommends that the activity details relate to the whole feature. The page states a department target that 80 per cent of proposals are finalised within 30 business days. That is stated as a target, not as a statutory time limit. The lawyer does not draft the proposal in the tool's words.
- Written for / version
- US
Open a jurisdiction version of this task to see which instruments apply: US
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the draft proposal and the lodgement record, list whether another proposal for the same mining environmental group is still open, whether the tenements are live, and whether the draft addresses mining operations, decommissioning, rehabilitation and closure outcomes. List the date 9 September 2025 against the date of lodgement. Do not write the proposal. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Confirm the lodgement is on or after 9 September 2025, or record that an earlier document was a mining proposal under the previous guidelines.
- Check there is not already an open proposal for the same mining environmental group, and that an approvals statement is expected only for live tenements.
- Treat 30 business days as the department's target, and confirm the proposal text is the lawyer's.
Sources
- Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration, mining development and closure proposal frequently asked questions · 2026-10-22
These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.