Post on 19-Feb-2023
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Life-of-Mine 2014 Conference
Paper Number: 8.00
Maturity of jurisdictional abandoned mine programs in Australia based on web-accessible information
Unger, C J1, Lechner, A M2, Walton, A3, Glenn, V4, Edraki, M5 and Mulligan D R6
1. MAusIMM, CP(Env) Senior Research Officer, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: c.unger1@uq.edu.au 2. Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: a.lechner@uq.edu.au 3. Research Assistant, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: coolbluekoala@hotmail.com 4. Research Officer, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: v.glenn@uq.edu.au 5. Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: m.edraki@uq.edu.au 6. FAusIMM Professor and Director, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072. Email: d.mulligan@uq.edu.au
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ABSTRACT
In Australia, responsibility for abandoned mines can be unclear. With a few exceptions, state and territory
governments have become responsible for abandoned mines on crown land and private landholders are
responsible for abandoned mines on freehold land. Abandoned mines pose risks and opportunities across
the full suite of sustainability themes (environmental, human health and safety, socio-economic and
community development) after mining ceases.
Across Australia there are over 50,000 abandoned mines recorded, ranging in size from individual shafts to
large polluting open-cut mines. Addressing the safety and environmental impacts of these sites, as well as
the socio-economic development opportunities of significant rehabilitation projects, requires the
implementation of effective policies and programs. Qualitatively defined graded scales or ‘rubrics’ have been
used for many years in student assessment, and increasingly in the performance assessment of other
sectors (Davidson, 2005). While risk-based maturity models have been used for safety prioritisation
(Westrum, 1993; Hudson, 2007; Commonwealth of Australia, 2008; Hancock, 2010) and evaluation of
organisational development (Esteves et al., 2010), this paper is the first to adapt maturity models for
evaluation of abandoned mine rehabilitation programs in Australia.
In this paper we used indicators based on the national policy for abandoned mines to assess the maturity of
abandoned mine programs. Fourteen elements of maturity were identified (Unger et al., 2012) under the five
chapters of the national policy for abandoned mines (MCMPR/MCA, 2010). Jurisdictions were then
evaluated and ranked on their maturity on the basis of information that was web-accessible. Information
transparency of abandoned mines policies and programs is in itself one element of the maturity chart. Each
jurisdiction in Australia was compared with each other and with a Canadian jurisdiction; the British Columbia
(BC) Crown Contaminated Sites Program (CCSP) representing leading practice (Unger, 2009; Unger et al.,
2012).
Our research found that in some jurisdictions in Australia there is little or no information on abandoned mine
programs or individual abandoned minesites on government websites, while other jurisdictions provided very
detailed program information on planning, funding and implementation. Each jurisdiction in Australia, for
which web-based information was available, had some elements where they were more mature than other
Australian jurisdictions. For some elements, maturity ranked equivalent to the BC CCSP, but most Australian
jurisdictions were less mature. There was only one element where a single Australian jurisdiction ranked
higher than the BC program in maturity. Public access to legacy mine policies, programs, priorities and
funding information via departmental websites, are easier to find in some jurisdictions, indicating progression
toward greater transparency and more mature programs. A systematic approach to monitoring and
evaluating abandoned mines programs is essential for accountability as such an approach can demonstrate
liability reduction over time, and continual improvement. The maturity model approach can provide both a
measure of progress over time as well as a tool to support the implementation of the national policy for
abandoned mines (MCMPR/MCA, 2010).
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INTRODUCTION
Within Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland rely heavily upon the mining
sector for economic growth and development. These three states have a mining contribution of 35.2%, 19%
and 9.9% mining contribution of Gross State Product, respectively (Australian Government, 2013).
Significant growth in Western Australia and Queensland over the last few years has placed growing
demands on regulatory personnel focussed on the approval of numerous new mines and upstream
petroleum industries (e.g. coal seam gas extraction in Queensland), some of which are large with complex
approval processes. It is perhaps in the context of this growth that increasing focus is being applied to mining
legacies, in particular abandoned mines, of which Australia is estimated to have in excess of 50,000 (Unger
et al., 2012). Inquiries and audits are revealing knowledge gaps in the area of mining legacy; e.g. quantifying
full liability and responsibilities as well as jurisdictional ambiguity over responsibilities and an absence of
legislation to set the standard for their management (Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry, 2012).
Applying effort to abandoned mines rehabilitation requires a long-term perspective and a good
understanding of their causes, impacts, legal and technical solutions. Focussing on abandoned mine
rehabilitation may expose the past poor practices and inadequate regulation which neither industry nor
government want emphasised. Increasing community expectations over time and greater demand for land
access articulated in the Multiple Land Use Framework (SCER, 2012) apply tensions, in existing and new
mining regions. Abandoned mines are used as examples of the failure of the regulatory process to protect
the environment and communities (Queensland Audit Office, 2014). Their existence undermines trust in both
governance and the industry and can result in the withdrawal of the ‘social licence to operate’.
Against this background, the Australian government [through the Department of Resources, Energy and
Tourism, now the Department of Industry under the Standing Council for Energy and Resources (SCER)]
within the Coalition of Australian Governments (COAG), the mining industry (represented by the Minerals
Council of Australia) and state jurisdictions collaborated to develop the “Strategic Framework for Managing
Abandoned Mines in the Minerals Industry” (MCMPR/MCA, 2010). This Strategic Framework defines
abandoned mines as: “…mines where mining leases or titles no longer exist and responsibility for
rehabilitation cannot be allocated to any individual, company or organisation responsible for the original
mining activities” (MCMPR/MCA, 2010).
By closing prematurely, abandoned mines have incomplete rehabilitation. They can also be called ‘derelict’,
‘orphan’, ‘former’ or ‘legacy’ mines and may have different definitions in each jurisdiction. As there is no
individual, company or organisation responsible for managing abandoned mines, this task falls to the
government and private landholders. In the case of Australia, this responsibility is borne largely by state and
territory jurisdictions, although there are some abandoned mines that are the responsibility of the Australian
government.
The management of abandoned mines in Australia came to the fore at the 2003 “Abandoned Mine
Workshop” (Bell, 2003) which recommended Australia develop a national strategy for managing abandoned
mines. In December 2010, the Strategic Framework for Managing Abandoned Mines in the Minerals Industry
(MCMPR/MCA, 2010) was produced jointly by the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources
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(MCMPR) and the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA). The MCMPR consisted of the Australian and New
Zealand Government Ministers for Resources, Energy and Tourism, and state and territory ministers with
responsibility for minerals and petroleum. MCMPR no longer exists and its functions were devolved to SCER
(Standing Council for Energy and Resources).
At a national level, the Strategic Framework (MCMPR/MCA, 2010) was prepared to encourage convergence
of state and territory jurisdictions on the following aspects;
• Site inventories and data management;
• Improved understanding of liability and risk relating to abandoned mines;
• Improvement in performance reporting;
• Standardisation of processes and methodologies; and
• Knowledge and skills sharing across jurisdictions.
Three jurisdictions (Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania) had formal abandoned mine programs
prior to the completion of the 2010 Strategic Framework. Since 2010, Western Australia and the Northern
Territory have introduced new policies to address mining legacies. Despite this, very few jurisdictions have
up-to-date inventories that are publicly accessible and nor do they have a transparent process to assess
risks and prioritise sites at a jurisdiction-wide level. Performance reports on completed jurisdictional
programs are hard to find. However, it is possible to find reports on specific abandoned mine sites and
rehabilitation projects in some jurisdictions.
The aim of this paper is to propose a maturity model of leading practice abandoned mine management. This
model has been trialled via a web-based search of jurisdictions in Australia to demonstrate maturity of
programs and to support jurisdictions by plotting where they are positioned now, and where they want to be
in the future. Through further testing and refinement, with input from jurisdictional abandoned mine
managers, the model could be applied by jurisdictions in Australia. Furthermore, globally there is significant
interest in this research to help developing nations to evaluate and address gaps or weaknesses in policies,
legislation and programs. Finally, we provide recommendations for addressing abandoned mines in the
Australian context.
MATURITY MODEL BACKGROUND
The maturity model approach for risk management has been successfully used around the world to evaluate
safety and elements of socio-economic maturity. Progress through maturity phases to achieve leading
practice systems have been described by Westrum 1993 and Hudson 2007 and the Commonwealth
Government in its leading practice sustainable development series (Commonwealth of Australia, 2008). Five
phases of maturity are applied, progressing from the least mature ‘vulnerable’ category through to ‘reactive’,
‘compliant’, ‘proactive’ and ‘resilient’ (Commonwealth of Australia, 2008). The more mature an organisation
or program, the more robust the systems are to proactively address impacts with evaluation and auditing
combined with open communication to continually improve those systems.
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Abandoned mine challenges and opportunities are multi-disciplinary nature. Safety, stability, environmental
and potential health impacts must be evaluated and managed. Post-mining values must also be understood
if socio-economic development can be derived from these sites, in the form of further mineral extraction,
heritage conservation and tourism, skills development through training and education and employment and
alternative innovative uses (Pearman, 2009; Unger, 2009).
Jurisdictional programs for abandoned mine management will exhibit different phases of maturity. Each
element of an abandoned mine program can be used to map the development of an integrated, systems-
based approach. The maturity model allows strengths and weaknesses to be identified in jurisdictional
abandoned mine management as well as evaluation of program maturity against international leading
practice. Finally, the maturity model provides an indication of step-wise improvements that could be taken by
each jurisdiction on their path to maturity (Unger et al., 2012).
Drawing on information from the Australian and international setting, an abandoned mine maturity model was
developed for the Australian context (Unger et al., 2012). The abandoned mine maturity model presented in
this research illustrates a novel application of the maturity model concept. It allows strengths and
weaknesses to be identified in the current approaches to abandoned mine management taken by each
jurisdiction and the evaluation of this against current international practice. Finally, it provides an indication of
step-wise improvements that could be taken by each jurisdiction on their path to maturity.
The maturity model has the capacity to map a program’s ‘journey’ from poorly structured toward an
integrated, systems-based approach to management. The model highlights that effective risk management
systems involve several step changes. This maturity model includes two broad elements common to
evaluation rubrics (Davidson, 2005), namely evaluative criteria and merit determination. Evaluative criteria
reflect the aspects of performance that are the focus of the model. Merit determinations are categories used
to assess performance for each of the evaluative criteria.
Fourteen evaluative criteria were identified to define maturity elements of jurisdictional abandoned mine
programs based on leading practice programs reviewed (Unger, 2009; Unger et al., 2012). These elements
are aligned with the five chapters of the Strategic Framework (MCMPR/MCA, 2010) to help transform the
Strategic Framework into an implementation plan. The evaluative criteria were identified in the Strategic
Framework as the components required for successful management of an abandoned mine program. These
components range from data management and risk assessment to sharing information (Table 1).
Within the maturity model, these evaluative criteria are classified into five levels of maturity ranging from
vulnerable and reactive to accepting, proactive and resilient. Based on these classifications, the maturity
chart assessment can be used to highlight areas of strength and conversely areas of poor performance;
jurisdictional planning can then focus on the next step to continually improve programs. Table 2 shows the
expanded category descriptors for each level of maturity ranging from reactive to proactive.
METHODS
Using only internet sources, we undertook a search of abandoned mine program information for each
jurisdiction in Australia, as well as for British Columbia, Canada for comparison. From this research, each
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element was ranked and a brief explanation was provided. Relevant web links were also included in the
ranking spreadsheet. Where there was uncertainty between two categories such as ‘2 or 3’, then a midway
score was assigned (e.g. 2.5).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A review of global leading practice abandoned mine management was used to inform the development of a
maturity model for all Australian jurisdictions. This model was trialled using a web-based search of
jurisdictions in Australia by one of the co-authors of this paper during the first half of 2013. This Research
Assistant was a recent arts graduate hence this review reflects what an ‘educated member of the public’
might find during a web-search with little or no background knowledge of abandoned mines.
Each jurisdiction was ranked on the basis of web-accessible information. The scores from the web-based
search were plotted for each of the seven jurisdictions in Australia (Figures 1-7) and for British Columbia in
Canada (Figure 8).
It was apparent that some jurisdictions were more mature in some elements than others. For example,
Western Australia (Figure 6) ranked highest for element 1 ‘data and information management’, due to their
comprehensive WABMINES database. The Northern Territory (Figure 7) showed evidence of methods of
prevention of mining legacies, with detailed planning and data evident on two particular sites, Mt Todd1 and
Rum Jungle. The former is the responsibility of the NT government and the Australian Government is
responsible for the latter, with Rum Jungle managed by the NT under a National Partnership Agreement2.
Figure 8 shows that for British Columbia, most maturity scores were higher than those for Australian
jurisdictions. The accessibility of web-based information on the BC CCSP was enhanced by the availability of
biennial performance reports. It was difficult to find performance reports on abandoned mine programs in
Australia.
The Queensland Abandoned Mine Land Program (AMLP) web page had an ‘overview’ explaining its
abandoned mine program with five abandoned mines and two shaft capping programs. Since the web-based
review (Figure 1), a link has been added to address ‘AMLP innovative solutions’ where two projects are
summarised. There is also a new link to enable a member of the public to ‘Report an abandoned minesite’.
New South Wales’ Derelict Mines Program webpage contained links to the current program of works. Since
the web-based review (Figure 2), the formation of a Mine Rehabilitation Advisory Council (MRAC) was
announced. The MRAC will provide advice to the Minister on strategic rehabilitation issues including “to
oversight the Derelict Mine Committee (which will act as a sub-committee) to assist in prioritising and
informing the work of both the Council and Committee3”. This indicates potentially wider engagement on the
issue of mine rehabilitation including mining legacies. An initial review of Victoria yielded no abandoned mine
information. However, other search terms, such as ‘contaminated land’, proved more effective because
mining legacies were grouped with other contaminated land (similar to BC, Canada). The subsequent
1 http://www.nt.gov.au/d/mttodd/
2 http://www.nt.gov.au/d/rumjungle/
3 http://www.resources.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/476686/Attachment-to-MOC13-4397-TAB-H-Mine-Rehabilitation-
Advisory-Council-Draft-Charter-v1.3.pdf
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ranking for Victoria was therefore based on a search under contaminated land (Figure 3). Tasmania (Figure
4) had a detailed webpage showing cross-functional engagement with a Trust Fund Committee which
provides advice to the Minister on the management of the Trust Fund. This committee is comprised of four
government departments, the Crushed Stone Association and the Tasmanian Minerals Council. However, it
was difficult to quantify the amount of rehabilitation work undertaken each year. In South Australia (Figure 5)
there is a Mine Completion group and one former minesite, Brukunga, featured strongly under abandoned
mine management. Western Australia (Figure 6) has announced the formation of a Mine Rehabilitation
Advisory Panel since the web-based review4. The Northern Territory (Figure 7) has made progress to
establish a mining legacy fund and team in 20135.
During the ranking process it was apparent that the researcher needed to know all of the possible
terminology for abandoned mines in order to find relevant information. The search phrase ‘abandoned mines’
is not used by all jurisdictions. As mentioned above, some jurisdictions combine abandoned mines with other
sources of contamination under ‘contaminated land’ programs (i.e. Victoria, Australia). Also ‘orphaned mines’
is a term more often used in Canada than Australia, where the owner of a mine is not known. The term
‘derelict mines’ is applied in New South Wales and the Northern Territory refers to ‘legacy sites’.
Some information was difficult to find or absent during the web search. For example few websites recorded
the total liability of abandoned mines. It is not clear whether this liability was known or unknown but it was
rarely if ever available via the websearch of mines’ departments who are the primary agencies to have
responsible for mining legacies in Australia.
A search of other government webpages highlight references to abandoned mine liability. For example the
Queensland’s Commission of Audit, interim report (QCA, 2012) estimated Queensland’s abandoned mine
liability as being approximately $1 billion. The NSW Auditor-General has noted that the Contaminated Land
Management Act 1997 excludes approximately 500 derelict mines which are the responsibility of the Derelict
Mines Program. This program “may represent the largest category of contamination liability for the New
South Wales Government” (Audit Office of NSW, 2011, p13). While the value of this liability is not provided it
is stated that the “few million dollars allocated annually to this program are substantially inadequate” (Audit
office of NSW, 2011, p13). While accrual accounting requires governments to fully account for its liabilities
and assets, abandoned /legacy mine liabilities are either embedded in jurisdictional financial reports or
absent. In contrast, in British Columbia, Canada, liabilities and liability reduction from rehabilitation programs
have been reported in biennial performance reports since the Auditor-General’s report in 20026 (CCSP,
2012; CCSP, 2014).
The annual expenditures on Australian abandoned mine programs are rarely available on abandoned mine
program web pages. As a result, researchers and the public cannot easily assess how much of the total
liability is being addressed each year. Performance reports containing the level of detail and transparency of
those produced by the British Columbia CCSP (2012, 2014) are not available in Australia. Risk assessment
and prioritisation processes are difficult to find in the public domain. Thus, it is worth noting that this web-
4 http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/15851.aspx
5 http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewRelease&id=11057&d=5
6 http://bcauditor.com/PUBS/2002-03/Report5/Contsites.pdf
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based review makes some assumptions based on the information provided. Wherever quantitative data are
not available, subjectivity can be a factor in the ranking.
The detail of abandoned mine programs available online for each jurisdiction varies and the level of
abandoned mine program transparency is likely to confound true estimates of maturity. For example an
abandoned mine program could have a very comprehensive webpage despite little progress being made to
address obstacles to reduce liabilities ‘on the ground’. Conversely, a jurisdiction may be undertaking
significant strategic planning with whole of government consultation, together with legislative and other
amendments in order to improve their capacity to prevent new legacies as well as to manage and fund
existing mining legacies. However because they are not yet ready to release or announce this information
publicly, there may be little information which is web-accessible.
APPLICATION AND NEXT STEPS
This review has highlighted that some jurisdictions received much higher scores for certain evaluative criteria
than others and presumably these jurisdictions have a high level of expertise in these areas. Cross-
jurisdictional dialogue in this instance can conserve limited resources in order to share knowledge within
Australia and to link jurisdictions to leading practices overseas.
The next step with this research is to invite jurisdictions to evaluate their own maturity because there may be
progress on mine policies and specific projects which are not revealed by this research. Such a test of the
maturity model (Table 2), would also evaluate its utility. Jurisdictions would be invited to provide comments
and improvements on the model elements and indicators for scoring. This approach would enable those
managing abandoned mines, who know what their jurisdiction has done and still needs to do, to rank their
maturity with greater accurately based on a more complete dataset. Research could begin to document the
forms of evidence needed to verify each level of maturity for each element. While some jurisdictions in
Australia have had abandoned mine programs for many years, others are just commencing. For those
jurisdictions just commencing a new program, this research provides an opportunity to test the applicability of
this maturity model during the development stages. The model could be improved with input from
jurisdictions. Subsequent reviews of abandoned mine program maturity could be undertaken to evaluate
progress over time.
Mature leading practice programs are characterised by being proactive, transparent and well resourced.
They take a whole of government approach in order to capture all sustainability elements, and then initiate
the changes needed. Mature programs engage specialist expertise and stakeholders to achieve the
objectives. Jurisdictional programs which have a detailed and current inventory of jurisdiction-wide
abandoned mines are more mature than those which lack this foundational knowledge. Mature jurisdictions
will also apply a risk and opportunity assessment methodology to prioritise sites, resources and
investigations. Risk evaluation and management will be guided and supported by legislation and policies
which prevent negative legacy creation and manage existing legacies. The values of abandoned mines need
to be evaluated and stakeholders engaged in order to effectively understand and embrace the opportunities
for socio-economic development post-rehabilitation. Partnership opportunities with stakeholders can occur
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when common values are recognised and collaboration encouraged. Collaboration can also yield new
funding opportunities. Communication and networks facilitate knowledge sharing and support continual
improvement. The current mining industry professionals by being engaged in both legacy site and active site
management have the potential to share knowledge across sector boundaries – industry, government,
consulting and research (AusIMM, 2013; Unger 2013).
Less mature programs may be given a head-start when research into more mature programs, here in
Australia and overseas, is undertaken. An understanding of strengths and weaknesses of related programs
in other jurisdictions can inform emerging legislation and policy. In some instances the adaption of existing
guidance and tools may save a jurisdiction from re-inventing systems from the beginning. While each
jurisdiction is unique, inventory methods, risk tools, knowledge of efficient methods for shaft capping and so
on can be shared nationally. The ultimate aim is to progressively reduce the environmental and socio-
economic liabilities from cumulative negative legacies which exist and provide sustainable post-mining land
uses for future generations. Non-Government Organisations, landholders and other community members
have roles where their local knowledge and community needs are brought into the planning process. This
research highlights that there is much to be learned from leading practices overseas and one model which
could be adapted to Australia is the National Orphaned /Abandoned Mine Initiative (NOAMI7). This Canadian
initiative formed in 2001, established cross-jurisdictional collaboration to identify common challenges and
then to address them. These included;
Building a National Inventory;
Community Perspectives;
Setting Standards and Rational Expectations - Links to Workshop Proceedings;
Ownership and Liability Issues; and
Identification of Funding Models.
Our maturity model provides a basis for development of an ‘Implementation Plan’ for the Strategic
Framework (MCMPR/MCA, 2010). As a precedent, the Australian government implemented the National
Mine Safety Framework (DRET, 2009). The jurisdictional maturity model for abandoned mine management
could include the development of appropriate support tools to assist knowledge sharing and progression of
abandoned mine programs along the path to maturity. Targets would need to be set and performance
measures agreed. Once the maturity model has been used to highlight areas of strength and conversely
areas of poor performance, planning can then focus on the next step to continually improve programs. In
order for an Implementation Plan for abandoned mine management across Australia to be effective,
leadership at a national level is required. Also needed is a commitment from state/territory governments as
well as the mining industry. The Standing Council on Energy and Resources led the development of the
Strategic Framework (MCMPR/MCA, 2010) and is the logical entity to lead the governments toward its
implementation in line with the Multiple Land Use Framework (SCER, 2013) in mining regions.
We have learned from NOAMI and other leading practice initiatives (Unger et al., 2012) that industry,
government and other stakeholder collaboration is necessary for good outcomes. Gaps in knowledge as well
7 http://www.abandoned-mines.org/home-e.htm
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as inadequacies in policies and legislation must systematically be addressed for holistic programs to persist
over time, especially when changes of government and shifts in the demand for Australia’s mineral
resources superimpose other priorities on the mining sector and governments. Inter-generational equity
requires a long term vision and persistent effort to address the negative legacies from mining, not only in
Australia but also globally.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation and volunteers as this research is
currently unfunded by industry, government or philanthropic sources. The MCA and Northern Territory
Government provided sponsorship, which offset the costs for the 2012 Managing Mining Legacies Forum,
held at the CMLR. The Churchill Trust funded the travel expenses of the lead author in 2009 to research
leading practice abandoned mine rehabilitation and post-mining land use overseas.
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of current status and AusIMM members’ perspectives the AusIMM Sustainability Committee, AusIMM,
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.
13
FIGURES FIG 1: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines – Queensland
FIG 2: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned (derelict) mines – New South Wales
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wideknowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to addressAMs
5 LPG to preventAMs
6 Risk Assessment
7Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms/networks
Queensland
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7 Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
New South Wales
14
FIG 3: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines (in contaminated land) – Victoria
FIG 4: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines – Tasmania
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7 Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
Victoria
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7 Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
Tasmania
15
FIG 5: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines – South Australia
FIG 6: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines – Western Australia
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
South Australia
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide…
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent…
6 Risk Assessment
7…
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
Western Australia
16
FIG 7: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned (legacy) mines – Northern Territory
FIG 8: Jurisdictional maturity for abandoned mines (Crown Contaminated Sites Program) – British Columbia
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7 Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
Northern Territory
0
1
2
3
4
51 data/info mgmt
2 jur-wide knowledge
3 site-specific data
4 LLP to address AMs
5 LPG to prevent AMs
6 Risk Assessment
7 Leadership/capacity
8 funding
9 beneficial land use
10 heritage cons
11 secondary mining
12 partnerships
13 stakeholder eng
14 comms /networks
British Columbia, Canada
17
TABLES
TABLE 1: Elements of a mature abandoned mine program integrated with Strategic Framework (MCMPR/MCA, 2010)
MATURE PROGRAM CONCEPTUAL MODEL
Str
ate
gic
fra
me
wo
rk
1 Data/Information management
Ch
ap
ter
2:
Da
ta
co
lle
cti
on
an
d
ma
na
ge
me
nt
2 Jurisdiction-wide knowledge of health, safety,
environment, and socio-economic impacts
3 Site specific rehabilitation and management plans for
high risk sites
4 Leadership' Legislation, Policy and guidance to
address AMs
Ch
ap
ter
3:
risk
as
se
ss
me
nt
an
d
ma
na
ge
me
nt 5 Legislation, policy and guidance to prevent new AMs
6 Risk assessment and prioritisation of programs
7 Abandoned mine program leadership and
capacity/skills
8 Funding; sources, mechanisms & resources
9 Focus on beneficial post-mining land/water uses
Ch
ap
ter
1 v
alu
ing
ab
an
do
ne
d m
ine
s
10 Heritage conservation -indigenous cultural and
industrial
11 Secondary mining opportunities
12 Resourcing in partnership
Ch
ap
ter
4
Res
ou
rcin
g
an
d
pa
rtn
ers
hip
op
po
rtu
nit
ies
13 Stakeholder engagement at jurisdiction level
14 Communication & networks
Ch
ap
ter
5
Info
rma
tio
n
sh
ari
ng
an
d
‘le
ad
ing
pra
cti
ce
’