A key initiative that has made Western Australian communities safer by turning former mining hazards into stable, valuable land is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
The Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration (DMPE)’s Abandoned Mines Program (AMP), launched in 2015, plays a central role in identifying, managing and rehabilitating abandoned mine sites across the State.
With more than 150 years of mining history, WA has inherited tens of thousands of abandoned mine features - open shafts, pit voids and waste rock landforms among them.
Many pose risks to public safety, the environment and surrounding land use.
In response, the WA Government introduced the AMP which is supported by the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF). Rather than relying on public funding, the MRF is supported by annual contributions from active mining operators.
This provides a dedicated, ongoing source of funds for rehabilitating both legacy sites and those left without a responsible party.
Over the past 10 years the AMP project scope has grown in line with the growth in the MRF from the initial first four pilot projects to today’s portfolio of nine active project locations, two investigative projects plus two projects in planning spread across regional Western Australia.
Making a difference: AMP’s successes
In its first decade, the AMP is working towards creating a tangible difference across Western Australia:
- Improving safety: High-risk sites are being stabilised or made safe - closing shafts, reshaping landforms, and reducing danger to communities and the environment.
- Smart, strategic prioritisation: The Abandoned Mines Inventory, a comprehensive database developed by the GSWA containing more than 192,000 records, informs the Abandoned Mines Prioritisation Tool. The Prioritisation Tool aims to utilise a risk-based approach focused on health, safety, environmental and heritage impacts. This aids the AMP prioritise work based on risk and long-term impact.
- Collaboration: The AMP has fostered collaboration with Traditional Owners, Aboriginal people on-Country and stakeholders through works undertaken on abandoned mines projects. For example, enabled job opportunities with the Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation during the Yalgoo Safer Shafts project.
- Innovative engagement: Through a bold approach to contract development, the AMP has enabled training opportunities through the Ellendale project. This contract has delivered high Indigenous participation across the entire contract workforce of with 16 training program participants achieving nationally recognised Units of Competency (machinery operations) over the first two seasons, and 6 trainees currently engaged through the Ellendale Bunuba Trainee Program.
Looking ahead
Now entering its second decade, the AMP continues to evolve - guided by innovation, strong partnerships and a commitment to sustainable land use.
With ongoing support from government, industry and local communities, the program remains a vital force in protecting people, land and heritage across WA.
For more information or to report an abandoned mine feature, visit the DMPE website.
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