Prevent weed spread: industry and recreation

You can prevent the spread of weeds if you work in mining and extractive industries.

These industries can cause major disturbance that can facilitate weed spread and growth.

You must manage weeds during construction and operation to ensure weed seeds are not spread by people, machines, materials or along haul roads.

You must avoid stockpiles becoming infested with weeds, especially if you intend to move the material off site or use it for rehabilitation.

Prevent weed spread

You must do all of the following to prevent the spread of weeds when mining or extracting:

• map locations and densities of declared weeds by carrying out a dedicated weed survey and send it to the Weed Management Branch
• use weed data to inform your mine management plan
• make sure that your site staff can identify relevant weeds in the area
• control weeds before you begin work
• you must eradicate all Class A weeds and report them to the Weed Management Branch
• you must follow weed management plans - isolated plants and infestations of gamba grass and mimosa must be eradicated
• where you must clear seeding weeds, stockpile and bund plant material and top soil
• regularly inspect and treat stockpiles, access tracks and haul roads
• before you begin work, inspect and clean weed seed from equipment, especially if it came from interstate
• clean machinery, vehicles and equipment before moving between sites
• establish a clean down area that is flat, easy to access and that does not drain into a waterway
• check the clean down area after rain and treat emerging weeds
• minimise disturbance to soil and native vegetation
• plan rehabilitation that will minimise weed growth during closure or the reduction in area of an exploration permit.

What you must not do

If you mine or extract raw materials, do not import, use, or export contaminated material including sand, gravel, rock and fill, and don't use weed infested materials for rehabilitation.