3.1.1. Handover to the State
Following production cessation in March 1991, the State and MML reached an agreement under which:
• MML would carry out decommissioning and environmental management works in accordance
with an agreed rehabilitation plan; and
• The State would release MML from liability and obligations relating to the prior 100 years of
mining.
In December 1992, MML was released from all liabilities and obligations for rehabilitation and
management of environmental impacts, contamination and heritage issues. In January 1993, the State
took over management of the legacy environmental and contamination issues and began its
management of the site as a decommissioned mine. It is also the primary underlying landowner.
3.1.2. Abandoned Mine Status
The nature of Mount Morgan Mine makes administering this site particularly unique. Since the early
1990s, the mine has been (and will continue to be) managed by the DNRMMRRD as a decommissioned
mine under the Abandoned Mine Lands Program. While the State is managing the historic mining
legacies, the mining leases over the site have been preserved in order to facilitate commercial
reprocessing of tailings by private operators.
In recognition of the State's management of the site as a decommissioned mine, and as set out in the
Phase 2 Agreement and the EA, the State has accepted responsibility for managing the legacy mining
disturbance at the site. To support the State's remediation goals, the State has authorised Heritage
Minerals to conduct restricted reprocessing activities under the preserved mining leases in defined
areas of the site. The abandoned mines status and the Phase 2 agreement are relevant to this
application as it meets the definition of standard criteria referred to under Schedule 4 of the EP Act.
There are a number of legacy uncontrolled tailings dumps on site, which were created by previous
tenure holders before operations ceased in 1990. Since that time, the tailings dumps have caused
substantial downstream environmental impacts due to poor positioning and design. Heritage Minerals’
tailings reprocessing activities comprise a key element of the State's remediation plan for the legacy
uncontrolled tailings.
The State's and Heritage Minerals' activities will co-exist during the period in which Heritage Minerals
carries out operations on the site. Following the completion of Heritage Minerals' operations, the areas
that it occupied will be returned to the DNRMMRRD, who will continue to manage the site in accordance
with a long-term remediation strategy. This work aligns with and forms part of the DNRMMRRD
remediation strategy for the site, which will continue to be delivered after Heritage Minerals' departure.
The history of the site and the effect of the Phase 2 Agreement are described in further detail below.
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Wulguru Technical Services Pty Ltd – Supporting Information Report
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