Develop a mining management plan

A mining management plan (MMP) is the primary tool for managing compliance with the Mining Management Act 2001.

The MMP clearly sets out all the environmental and other legal and regulatory obligations that must be met by mining operators.

When you need it

Any exploration, mining or extractive activity that is likely to cause substantial disturbance of the ground must have a mining authorisation.

To apply for a mining authorisation, you need to develop and submit an MMP.

You must have an approved MMP for all of the following:

new projects
when operations change significantly from the previous plan.

You will only get a mining authorisation when your MMP has been approved by the department.

What you need to include

An MMP must include all of the following:

details of the mining title for the site, and who owns it
a description of the organisational structure for the mining operation
a description of proposed mining activities
plans of current and proposed mine workings and infrastructure
details of environmental risks and management plans
a plan and costing of closure activities
stakeholder engagement
any other information or plans required by the department.

How to write your plan

The advisory notes and structure guides below contain instructions and examples of environmental management issues you may need to consider when preparing an MMP.

The structure guides outline the required plan structure and will help to make sure you include all the required information.

You should assess which are relevant to your site, or whether other factors not listed here need to be included.

Commitments to continuous improvement should have a defined objective and completion date placed on them so that there is a measurable time frame.

Maintenance and temporary suspension

For when an operator plans to temporarily suspend mining operations, use this guide.

Care and maintenance operations mining management plan structure guide PDF (214.7 KB)
Care and maintenance operations mining management plan structure guide DOCX (85.5 KB)

Exploration

For exploration work that is going to cause substantial disturbance of the ground, use this guide.

Mining management plan exploration activities PDF (250.3 KB)
Mining management plan exploration activities DOCX (55.1 KB)

To assist in preparing an MMP for exploration, use this guide.

Mining management plan user guide PDF (751.7 KB)
Mining management plan user guide DOCX (6.5 MB)

To document the status of rehabilitation on an exploration site, use this disturbance tracking document. You must submit it as an attachment to the MMP.

Disturbance tracking for exploration projects XLSX (36.9 KB)

Extractive industries

For an extractive minerals operation, use these:

Template for preparing an MMP

Use these to prepare an MMP to get an authorisation to mine minerals. Also use it for the required 4-yearly updates.

It identifies the information required:

when submitting a request for approval of an MMP for a mining project
for authorisation under the Mining Management Act 2001.

Template for the preparation of a mining management plan PDF (616.0 KB)
Template for the preparation of a mining management plan DOCX (187.9 KB)

Content guide for preparing an MMP for mining project

Use these to prepare an MMP to get an authorisation to mine minerals.

It provides:

detail explaining the basis for the information requested and
suggestions to assist operators/proponents develop a targeted mining management plan for assessment.

Content guide for the preparation of MMP for mining project PDF (700.7 KB)
Content guide for the preparation of MMP for mining project DOCX (1.1 MB)