Shrinking Australia, Australia's Economic Future: Access to Land

Australian Mining Industry Council

New South Wales

Areas prohibited from exploration and mining are growing annually as more lands are included in national parks and reserves, through the new Wilderness Act and as increased urban and industrial development covers a greater proportion of the State.

The first wildemess area covering 38,000 hectares was declared in the MacDonald Valley north of Sydney. The legislation provides for private land conservation agreements and it would seem this wilI also limit access for exploration. A Bill amending the National Parks and Wildlife Act, which would effectively prohibit mining and private exploration in parks and reserves in the future, is still before Parliament. At present, prohibition is by Government policy. Under the amended legislation future governments would need to pass special legislation to allow exploration or mining in parks and reserves.

There are three World Heritage areas in New South Wales&emdash;Lord Howe Island, East Coast Temperate Rainforests Park and Willandra Lakes Region. These areas, while not national parks, are treated as such by the State Government, and therefore, are excluded from exploration.

Parks and reserves now sterilise large reserves of coal and mineral sands containing, for example, 46 per cent of the State's mineral sands, exceeding $1,000 million in value. The conservation movement has mounted a campaign to preserve alI coastal areas as evidenced in the Government's Mineral Sands Mining Guidelines.

The coalfields around Sydney have 50 per cent of their area under parks and reserves. All fields also face reduction of mineable coal reserves due to encroachment by urban areas, catchments and Commonwealth land. Uranium mining is at present banned in the State.

Aboriginal lands under freehold or leasehold are small and scattered. Current policy is not to grant Aboriginal land rights and the existing legislation is under review.

In some circumstances, the Mining Act itself restricts exploration and mining activity on improved lands such as urban areas and agricultural lands. Owners no longer have the right to veto the grant of titles or access under exploration licences but retain the right to object to mining.

The closing off of land because of development and the growth of conservation areas totally excluding mining are the major access issues facing the industry in New South Wales.

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