Eligible activities

Activities that cause major ground disturbance are not considered eligible activities under an expedited procedure grant.

For this scale of activity, you'd need to use the full right-to-negotiate process (RTN) or an Indigenous land use agreement.

The following table shows activities that may be undertaken using the expedited procedure through native title protection conditions (NTPCs) for some exploration permits for minerals and coal, and some mineral development licences.

Agreed activities considered eligible to be undertaken after notification as prescribed by the NTPCs Activities that require notification, inspections or monitoring as prescribed by the NTPCs
Aerial surveys Levelling of drilling pads and digging sumps
Geological and surveying field work that doesn't involve clearing Fence line changing
Sampling by hand methods Open trenching or costeaning with an excavator
Ground-based geophysical surveys that don't involve clearing Vegetation clear-felling
Environmental field work that doesn't involve clearing Construction of an exploration camp, concrete pad, sewage or water treatment facility, or fuel dump
Drilling and activities associated with drilling that don't include:
  • clearing or excavation, other than the minimum necessary to establish a drill pad for a mobile rig
  • clearing or excavation for access to a drill site
  • side hill excavation for access or drill pads as would be necessary on steep slopes
  • drilling in a watercourse or stream diversion
  • clearing in densely vegetated areas
Geophysical surveying with physical clearing
Seismic survey using explosives
Construction of a track or access road

Changes to activities post-grant

Undertaking activities that are likely to involve major disturbance to land under a resource authority granted subject to NTPCs would result in a breach of grant conditions. Such a breach may result in the issue of a compliance direction or initiate compliance action by the Minister who may impose a penalty, amend or impose new conditions, or cancel the permit.

Also consider...