Real-time publication of the South Australian government compliance action on illegal mining operations will bolster community confidence in the sector and reinforce South Australia’s position as a mining destination of best practice.

From yesterday, enforcements and prosecutions under the state’s Mining Act, including civil penalties, will be made public on the Department for Energy and Mining’s website.

Not content with current practice following amendments to the Mining Act and Mining Regulations in 2020, the government has developed new policies and procedures to support the aims of that legislative framework, with the department’s mining regulators adopting this formal transparency policy to ensure greater industry accountability and to enhance public trust in its activities.

This means additional tools are now available to regulators, while the general public has timely access to the outcomes of the department’s compliance work through real-time updates. The webpage will list enforcements and prosecutions under the Mining Act, as well as listing use of two new compliance tools – enforceable voluntary undertakings and civil penalties.

Any penalty payments into the Mining Rehabilitation Fund will also be disclosed.

In future months, we plan to expand the scheme to include real-time publication of Environmental or Compliance Directions, Suspensions and Prohibition orders.

Illegal mining can attract a maximum penalty of $250,000 or 2 years imprisonment.

To find out more and to view real-time enforcement and prosecution offences and outcomes, visit the South Australian Department of Energy and Mining website.