The WA government has introduced a new Exemption Order for Alcoa of Australia and will shortly approve the company’s 2025-2029 Mining and Management Program, placing tougher regulatory requirements on its operations in the Northern Jarrah Forest.
The measures are the next step in the government’s Alcoa Transitional Approvals Framework, introduced in December 2023 to let the company keep operating while the independent Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) assesses its bauxite mining proposals.
The new Order has been published and revokes the existing one.
The enhanced conditions attached to the Mining and Management Program (MMP) complement the Order and place further limits on mining in environmentally sensitive areas.
As part of the conditions, mining will be prohibited within two kilometres of water reservoirs.
Protection buffers around black cockatoo nesting trees and significant trees in the Huntly mining area will increase from 10 metres to 50 metres.
Black cockatoo nesting trees will now be defined by identification from an independent fauna specialist, and the government has set new definitions and qualification requirements for those specialists.
Alcoa must also carry out mandatory fauna surveys, GPS recording, tree tagging and fencing before mining starts. Its Compliance Assessment Plans must be reviewed and resubmitted every six months, and its exploration drilling footprint will be reduced.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the government acknowledged community interest in present and future mining in the region, and recognised its importance to the state’s water supply, biodiversity, recreation and tourism.
Swinbourn said: “The new conditions will deliver enhanced protections for public drinking water sources, black cockatoo habitat and other environmentally significant values.”
He said the government was also weighing the economic contribution of mining.
“Our government is committed to delivering strong environmental protection and management, while also recognising the economic contribution of mining and safeguarding local employment.”
The new MMP conditions were developed by the Bauxite Strategic Executive Committee, the government’s advisory body.
It brings together expertise from portfolios responsible for health, environment, water, Aboriginal heritage, mining, forestry and state development.
The government said this ensures a co-ordinated and evidence-based approach to regulating Alcoa’s operations.
The 2025-2029 MMP approval will extend only to mining areas that have previously been referred to the EPA or are currently under assessment by it. It may be implemented only during the life of the new Exemption Order.
State Development Minister David Michael, who will approve the program, said the strengthened conditions would support Alcoa’s transition to contemporary environmental standards and a modern regulatory framework.
Michael said: “With Alcoa’s operations continuing while the EPA finalises its assessment, these arrangements provide certainty for workers, local communities and regional economies that rely on the continuation of Alcoa’s operations.”
Michael said the government remained committed to the Alcoa Transitional Approvals Framework, which is progressively moving Alcoa to the same regulatory standards that apply to comparable mining operations across Western Australia.
The new Order will be tabled in Parliament in accordance with the usual parliamentary processes.
The approved MMP and its conditions will be published on Alcoa’s website in the days after approval.
The government said the new arrangements are temporary, in place only until the EPA finishes its assessment and the state government and Alcoa update the framework that applies to the company under its State Agreements.
