The Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration’s annual release of WA Mineral Exploration (WAMEX) reports will start at the beginning of May 2026.
A full list of WAMEX reports submitted in 2020 under Section 115a of the Mining Act 1978 is now available.
Tenement holders and operators are able to submit written objections, including a covering letter and a ‘read only’ Excel spreadsheet, for two months following the listing of the eligible reports. Objections to the release of reports should be addressed to the Executive Director, Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), and emailed to sunsetclause@dmpe.wa.gov.au.
Regulation 96(5) states that the Minister – in this instance, the Minister for Mines and Petroleum – may, upon the written application of the holder of a mining tenement, refuse to publicly release the information for a further period or further periods not exceeding five years in each case. Objections must be received by 24 April 2026.
The first five-year period of confidentiality is mandatory. The period of confidentiality granted, following an acceptable objection from the tenement holder, is at the Minister’s discretion.
A second list of reports for which previous objections have now lapsed is also available.
GSWA released roughly 1600 mineral exploration reports in 2025. Mining and exploration data is an invaluable resource for the State, mining and exploration companies and the geoscientific community at large.
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