Today's release of the Code of Conduct for Mineral Explorers in the Northern Territory by the Minister for Mining and Industry will help mineral explorers and land managers work together for more jobs and greater prosperity for all Territorians.
The Code is the result of productive collaboration between the NT Government and the minerals industry to develop a user-friendly reference to guide discussions between mineral explorers and land managers and ensure that parties understand mutual responsibilities to avoid or minimise interference with activities on overlapping mineral and pastoral leases.
The ability to negotiate mutually-acceptable land access agreements is a critical prerequisite for explorers to be able to discover resources that can lead to new mines, new jobs and greater prosperity for Territorians, particularly in regional and remote locations.
Establishment of new environmentally-sustainable mines will help the Northern Territory achieve the ambitious target of a $40 billion economy by 2030 identified in the final report of the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission in December 2020, which identified mining as one of the key industries to underpin the Territory's post-pandemic economic recovery.
Exploration can be a concern for lease-holders and land-managers, particularly on properties that have been run and managed as family businesses for generations. The Territory's mining industry recognises its responsibility as a temporary custodian of land to contribute to sustainable land-use outcomes, including making land available for pastoral use after rehabilitation and closure of mine sites.
The Code of Conduct seeks to support respectful relationships between land-managers and explorers and builds on government and industry tools to support local communities.
MCA NT appreciates the opportunity to work with the Mines Division of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and looks forward to building on this relationship to secure positive outcomes from the current review of regulation of environmental management by the Territory's mining industry.
The Code of Conduct can be downloaded from the Department of Industry and Trade website.
