Question On Notice No. 1012 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 October 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt
Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade; Tourism; Commerce; Science
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the annual and triennial reports required to be produced by
Griffin Coal under Clause 11(2) of the Collie Coal (Griffin) Agreement, and, I
ask:
(a) will the Minister please table the most recent triennial report;
(b) if no to (a), why not;
(c) could the Minister please advise which section of the Department reviews
these reports and the environmental and mining rehabilitation expertise present
in the section; and
(d) could the Minister please advise any dates on which further information
has been requested from the company as provided for in Clause11(3)?
Answered on 15 November 2022
The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation advises:
(a) No
(b) The Triennial Report is submitted by Griffin Coal to the Minister to satisfy Griffin Coal’s obligations under Clause 11(2) of the Collie Coal (Griffin) Agreement Act 1979. It is submitted with an expectation that the information will be treated as commercially sensitive by the State, as it contains valuable commercial information. Disclosure of this would reveal information about the commercial affairs of the company and could adversely affect those affairs and prejudice the future supply of information to the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI) by Griffin Coal. Accordingly it is not appropriate to table the report. I will notify the Auditor General’s office and both houses of Parliament that this part of the question will not be answered as per Section 82 of the Financial Management Act 2006.
(c) JTSI is responsible for the administration of State Agreements. JTSI refers these reports to the Collie Coal Mines and Environment Committee which includes subject matter experts from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety to review and provide feedback to the JTSI. The consolidated feedback is provided to Griffin Coal for consideration and incorporation into its next report.
(d) No further requests for information has been requested by the Minister in accordance with Clause 11(3)