Government Assessment Report of the Hillside Project

 The Mining Regulation Branch of the Department of State Development has now released its full assessment of Rex Minerals’ Hillside Mine Proposal.   This report (dated 16 July 2014) included a consideration of environmental, social and economic risk posed by theoperation, the potential for treatment through mitigation or management of that risk, and whether or not any residual risk posed by the project is, on balance, acceptable.

 

Its recommendations are reproduced below.

 

The final decision on whether or not to approve was left to the discretion of the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy , MR Koutsantonis.  He announced his approval of the project on 29th July 2014.

 

Read the Full Report Here

 

EXTRACT From the Government Assessment Report

 

10 Recommendations  (page 571)

 

The South Australian Government assessment recommends:

 

1)       That in accordance with the requirements of the Act, the Minister for

Resources and Energy (or his delegate) considers, on the basis of the

Proposal, the results of statutory consultation, the Response Document

and the attached assessment, whether or not to grant mining

tenements for the proposed Hillside mine.

2)         That if a decision is made to grant the mining tenements for which Rex

has applied, the body of recommended conditions, terms and clauses

identified in the attached Assessment Report and provided in

consolidated schedules in Appendix 2, 3 and 4, become legal

requirements of those tenements.

3)       That in accordance with the requirements of Part 10A of the Act, if

mining tenements are granted, Rex are clearly advised that:

a.       no operations may be undertaken until such time as Rex has

provided a detailed Program for Environment Protection and

Rehabilitation (PEPR) which meets the legal requirements of the

Act, Regulations, Ministerial Determinations and addresses all

terms, conditions and clauses of the tenements to the

satisfaction of, and is formally approved by, the Minister for

Mineral Resources and Energy, and

b.       that in preparing the PEPR, Rex will be required to demonstrate

ongoing consultation between the company, the local

community and government agencies, and that the results of

that consultation has informed the proposed approach to mine

construction, operation and rehabilitation; and

c.       the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy will not approve

a PEPR for mining operations on exempt land prior to the

registration in the Mining Register of the required waivers of