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Mineral Exploration in South Australia

Minerals are the property of the Crown in South Australia, and access to land for exploration is gained through provisions of the Mining Act 1971 and Regulations.

The regulation, administration and technical procedures relating to mineral exploration are dealt with by PIRSA's Minerals and Energy Resources Division.

All explorers wishing to carryout exploration activities in South Australia should be familiar with the rules and regulations under which they can apply for an exploration licence and undertake exploration and mining activities within South Australia.

On this page:

Exploration Release Area (ERA)

Amendments to the Mining Act (Section 29) have resulted in a change to the way that expired, partially surrendered, surrendered or cancelled exploration licence (EL) areas may be released for application.

Upon the expiry, surrender, partial surrender or cancellation of an EL and completion of related statutory processes in accordance with the Mining Act 1971, areas may be identified for release to the open market. These areas will be released as Exploration Release Areas (ERAs) and published on a regular basis via the Government Gazette, DMITRE website, and displayed on the South Australia Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG).

No applications for an ERA will be accepted within a moratorium period of approximately 1 month from the date of publishing. EL applications will only then be accepted during a period of five business days (Monday to Friday) at the end of the moratorium period.

Following the closure of the application period:

  • If no EL applications are received the area will revert to vacant/open ground.
  • If one EL application is received, it will be processed via established EL application procedures.
  • If multiple EL applications are received during the 5 day period, then valid applications will proceed to be assessed by an assessment panel.

An application template, currently being prepared, will be available to assist applicants in addressing the predefined assessment criteria as outlined in a DMITRE Information Sheet (in prep.)

ERA Implementation

The release of ERA areas, is dependent upon changes to DMITRE IT systems (including SARIG) which are anticipated to be finalised during January 2012. For further updates please check this website.

Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) & Mineral Exploration

Amendments to the Mining Act that came into force on 1 July 2011 require the holder of an EL to have an approved Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) in place prior to the commencement of any exploration activities on an EL (Mining Act 1971 Part 10A, and Mining Regulation 114).

A PEPR should identify all relevant environmental, social and economic impact events that may result from the proposed exploration activities and how each of the identified impacts will be managed or avoided.

Low Impact Exploration & Generic PEPR

DMITRE has developed a generic PEPR (Determination) for low impact activities which, from 1 July 2011, must be adhered to unless an alternative Low Impact Exploration PEPR has been developed and approved by the Minister. Regulatory Guideline MG8 explains what a "PEPR" is, how the Generic PEPR was developed and relevant legislative requirements that need to be considered when conducting low impact activities.

Other Exploration Activities

For all other activities (not within the scope of the Generic PEPR) a PEPR in accordance with Part 10A of the Act is required. Under Regulation 114 (Transitionary Provisions) an Exploration Work Approval (EWA) for drilling/use of declared equipment, or a Declaration of Environmental Factors (DEF) for exploration in sensitive areas (in accordance with EL conditions) will be deemed to be a PEPR until 1 July 2014 unless otherwise required by the Minister. Applications for approval of an EWA/DEF/PEPR should be submitted in line with existing guidelines and procedures.

It is intended that over the next 3 years a PEPR as required under the Act will eventually replace the current EWA and DEF formats. Guidelines and determinations for the development of this PEPR are currently being developed by DMITRE.

Exploration Compliance Reports (ECR)

Exploration Rehabilitation Photo Reports, Annual Exploration Rehabilitation Status Reports and Exploration Environmental Management Reports previously requested as a condition of the Drilling/Use of Declared Equipment approval will now be called Exploration Compliance Reports (ECR). This change is designed to provide greater consistency with the Mining Act and regulations.

The timing of a submission for an ECR has also been amended to provide consistency with existing EL reporting requirements (i.e. Annual Technical Reports and agreed joint reporting arrangements).

A Determination for the submission of a Exploration Compliance Report is currently under development and will come into force as of 1 July 2012. The Determination will provide greater clarity regarding:

  • the type of exploration activities that trigger the requirement for an Exploration Compliance Report;
  • when an Exploration Compliance Report must be submitted (e.g. in accordance with existing EL reporting requirements); and
  • the content of an Exploration Compliance Report.

Until 1 July 2012, Exploration Compliance Reports will continue to be requested as a condition of the PEPR approval (previously known as the Drilling/Use of Declared Equipment approval).

A template for the submission of a Compliance Report is also under development.

Exploration reporting and templates

Exploration reporting guidelines and templates to assist Exploration Licence holders in the preparation and submission of statutory reports and notifications for Mineral Exploration Licences in South Australia.

Information sheets

Information sheets provide a wide range of information from the initial application for an Exploration Licence (EL) and submitting work programs and rehabilitation programs to surrendering ground and applying for a mining lease.

Forms

Submission of the appropriate forms required under the Mining Act 1971 is vital when holding an EL and proposing, conducting and finishing an exploration program.

Guidelines and Procedures

Exploration guidelines address specific topics and issues that all explorers should be aware of when conducting an exploration program.

SARIG

The South Australian Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG) is an online database and Geographic Information System (GIS) that provides current tenement information and an EL application lodgement service.
 
SARIG also offers access to DMITRE's geoscientific libraries which house archived open file envelopes, report books and other reference material pertinent to South Australian mineral explorers.
 
There is no charge for downloading information directly from the SARIG site.

Hardcopy Maps and Datasets

Customised hardcopy maps and plans of tenement, geology and geophysical data is available though the PIRSA Customer Services Centre. Contact the centre for more information.
 
South Australian geoscientific datasets and GIS packages are also available through the PIRSA Customer Services Centre.