Question Without Notice No. 559 asked in the Legislative Council on 7 September 2017 by Hon Robin Chapple
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
559. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the minister representing the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the ''Projects Under Consideration'' section on page 31 of the June 2017 edition of Prospect, and also to the ''Significant resource projects in Western Australia'' section on page 32.
(1) Why is only the Yeelirrie uranium project named in both ''Projects Under Consideration'' and ''Significant resource projects''?
(2) Are the Mulga Rocks, Wiluna and Kintyre uranium projects classified differently by the Department of Mines and Petroleum?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question. I have been given the following information by the Minister for Mines and Petroleum.
(1) The Yeelirrie uranium project is listed in the June–August 2017 edition of Prospect because it is currently the largest undeveloped uranium deposit in Australia.
(2) The Department of Mines and Petroleum amalgamated with the Department of Commerce on 1 July 2017 to become the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. The Mulga Rock, Wiluna and Kintyre uranium projects differ from the Yeelirrie uranium project as they are subject to different legislation. The Mulga Rock, Wiluna and Kintyre projects are subject the Mining Act 1978 administered by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. The Yeelirrie project is subject to the Uranium (Yeelirrie) Agreement Act 1978 administered by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.