Basic Raw Materials

Basic Raw Materials (BRM) are essential for building things like houses, roads, and other infrastructure, as well as for farming. To keep up with the demand for these materials, it’s important to find and use them responsibly so that construction and farming in Western Australia can continue.

For the purposes of resource protection, BRM includes:

• sand (including silica sand)
• clay
• hard rock (including dimension stone)
• limestone (including metallurgical limestone)
• agricultural lime
• gravel
• gypsum
• other construction and road building materials and materials which may substitute BRM.

BRM maps help local and regional governments consider these materials early on and use them wisely during planning and development.

Mining Lease versus Extractive Industry Licence for BRM

Managing BRM extraction in Western Australia can be complicated because the rules and approvals depend on who owns the land and how the material will be used.

Where BRM extraction happens:

• Crown Land (like reserves, unallocated land, or pastoral leases): To extract BRM for commercial sale, you need a Mining Lease, which is issued under the Mining Act 1978 and managed by the department.
• Private Land (freehold): Approvals are needed under the Planning and Development Act 2005 (Development Approval) and the Local Government Act 1995 (Extractive Industry Licences). This is because BRM on private land isn’t considered a mineral under the Mining Act 1978.

Guidelines for extraction on private land

If you want to extract BRM from private land, you should check out the Planning Guidelines – Basic Raw Materials from the West Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) and the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage (DPLH). These guidelines help explain the rules under State Planning Policy 2.4 Planning for Basic Raw Materials (SPP 2.4).

Commercial extraction rules

For commercial BRM extraction, you’ll need to submit these Mining Operational Notices: MON 1 - Notice of information about mine operator and MON 2 - Notice of information about non-exploration mining operations.

Blasting Requirements:

If blasting is involved, a blast plan and records must be prepared under the Dangerous Goods Safety (Explosives) Regulations 2007. These rules apply to breaking rock or demolishing materials on land or underwater.

State planning policies

BRM is so important to Western Australia that it’s included in the State’s planning rules.

State Planning Policy 2.4 – Planning for Basic Raw Materials (SPP 2.4) guides how BRM is managed in planning and development. The main goals are to:

• Make sure BRM and its regional importance are considered early in planning.
• Protect BRM in Strategic General Supply (SGS) areas and Environmentally Sensitive (ES) areas by avoiding land uses that don’t fit well with mining.
• Use BRM resources efficiently during planning and development.
• Plan for BRM extraction so the land can still be used for its final purpose after mining.
• Reduce or prevent negative impacts from BRM extraction on local communities, water sources, and biodiversity.

State Planning Policy 2.5 – Rural Planning (SPP 2.5) looks at BRM use on rural land. If SPP 2.4 and SPP 2.5 clash over BRM issues, SPP 2.4 takes priority.

These policies ensure BRM is managed responsibly to meet the State’s needs while protecting the environment and communities.

Region Planning Schemes

WAPC creates region schemes to manage land use and development. These plans are approved by Parliament and ensure land is used effectively. There are three region schemes in Western Australia:

• Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS)
• Peel Region Scheme (PRS)
• Greater Bunbury Region Scheme (GBRS)

The PRS and GBRS include special rules and maps to protect important BRM areas, now called Significant Geological Supply (SGS) areas, as well as Strategic Minerals.

SGS areas are identified by the department as being very important to the State. This is because they:

• Have large resources.
• Are rare or in high demand.
• Are near growing towns or transport routes.

State Planning Policy 2.4 (SPP 2.4) supports adding SGS areas and protection policies to Region Schemes and local planning strategies. This helps ensure these valuable resources are managed and protected for the future.

Spatial data and information

The department provides public tools and resources to help people understand and manage BRM in Western Australia.

GeoVIEW.WA highlights important BRM information, such as:

• Significant Geological Supplies (SGS): These are BRM areas identified as the most important for the State. They are chosen based on resource size, rarity, demand, and location near growing towns or transport routes.
• Extraction Sites: These are places where BRM is commercially extracted or quarried. The sites can be active, approved, or planned and may operate under laws like the Planning and Development Act 2005, the Local Government Act 1995, or the Mining Act 1978.
• Exclusion Areas: These areas have BRM resources but cannot be mined because of environmental protections, planning restrictions, or infrastructure needs. Mining approval in these areas is unlikely.

To view this information, select the 'Land Use Planning' layer. Note that not all areas of the State are mapped for BRM; check the Shires with Completed SGS Mapping layer to see the areas covered. BRM data is updated regularly, but not all extraction sites are included. This is because some sites only operate for short periods or start and stop between updates.

Find BRM maps and publications in the DMPE eBookshop. These products help us make informed decisions about land use in Western Australia’s growing areas.

Tengraph Web displays the position of Western Australian mining tenements and petroleum titles in relation to other land information.

BRM resources will continue to evolve as new information becomes available.