Abstract

The Greentape Reduction Act 2012 (Qld) will remove the requirement for an Environmental Management Plan (EM Plan) in the interests of streamlining approvals. The EM Plan is currently the mechanism for the development of mine site rehabilitation plans. In light of these recent legislative changes we have conducted a brief review of legislation and policy in the context of prevention of mining legacies. Following this review, an examination of broad-scale trends in rehabilitation is undertaken and recommendations are provided to guide data gathering in order to evaluate the success of existing policy in delivering good rehabilitation and closure outcomes. Finally, a method for evaluating the 'maturity' of regulatory controls for land rehabilitation and closure is presented, using a risk-based approach.