The Western Australian government has completed a landmark digital transformation for Western Australia’s resources sector, with the third and final release of the Resources Online platform going live, fulfilling a key election commitment to modernise and accelerate environmental approvals for the mining and petroleum industries.
The milestone marks the official end of the migration away from the legacy Environmental Assessment and Regulatory System, known as EARS, to a secure, purpose-built digital gateway.
Resources Online forms a central pillar of the WA government’s Fast Tracking Mining Approvals program and significantly expands the spatial and digital capability of the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration.
The platform’s impact on assessment timelines has been substantial.
Streamlined digital workflows and automation have cut the average assessment time for major Mining Development and Closure Proposals by approximately 50 per cent, reducing wait times from 58 business days to just 25.
More than 200 Eligible Mining Activities have been successfully lodged through the system, removing around 1,600 business days from assessment timelines across the sector.
Approximately 100 Approval Statements have also been issued under the new Mining Development and Closure Proposals framework.
The final phase of the rollout, completed on 9 June 2026, saw all online submissions for Native Vegetation Clearing Permits, Environment Plans, and Oil Spill Contingency Plans permanently transition to the Resources Online portal.
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael said the platform represented a fundamental shift in how the government delivers regulatory services to the resources sector.
He said the WA government was proudly delivering on its commitment to build a faster, smarter and more responsive approvals system for the state’s world-leading resources industry.
The Minister said Resources Online was not simply a technology upgrade, describing it as a meaningful reduction in red tape that gives industry the regulatory certainty needed to make major investment decisions.
He also made clear that the government’s drive to fast-track applications would not come at the cost of environmental rigour.
He emphasised that the rigorous environmental standards, community expectations and the vital interests of Traditional Owners that help protect Western Australia would remain central to the approvals process.
The Resources Online platform replaces a system that industry and government have long identified as a bottleneck to timely decision-making.
By digitising lodgement, assessment and approval workflows, the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration is better positioned to manage growing application volumes while maintaining oversight of environmental and community obligations.
The completion of release three represents the culmination of a multi-stage program that has progressively moved the sector’s regulatory interactions online.
With the full migration now in place, the government says industry can expect continued improvements in processing efficiency as the platform matures and further automation capabilities are developed.
