Mining inspections and audits
Regulation of mining activities - under review
Environmental regulation of mining activities in the Northern Territory has changed.
From 1 July 2024, activities will be regulated under the Environment Protection Act 2019.
Transitional arrangements apply for activities that were authorised under the Mining Management Act 2001.
Read more on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website.
This page is being updated to reflect the new regulatory framework.
The department inspects and audits mining operations to make sure they comply with the terms of their authorisation conditions and operating approvals as well as with Northern Territory and Australian law.
Inspections and audits also ensure mining operators use leading practice mining methods and properly identify and manage environmental impacts.
Audits
Audits are usually only done once a year at any site.
The audits check the following:
- the operation against a set of standards
- questions from the department
- against an operation's approved plans.
Inspections
Inspections usually take one day or less. How often they are done depends on a site’s level of environmental risk.
Environmental monitoring unit
The department has an on-the-ground environmental monitoring unit that samples and analyses water from selected mine sites.
The resulting information helps the department check a mine site’s environmental performance and potential impacts.