Crown Minerals Act 1991 Programmes
The Government is updating Programmes issued under the Crown Minerals Act 1991
The Programmes
The Crown Minerals Act 1991 (CMA) is currently supported by two Programmes: The Minerals Programme for Petroleum 2013 (the Petroleum Programme) and the Minerals Programme for Minerals (Excluding Petroleum) 2013 (the Minerals Programme). The Programmes are a form of secondary legislation that set out how the Minister for Resources and the Chief Executive of MBIE will exercise their powers and interpret and apply specific provisions in the CMA and associated regulations. The Programmes also provide general operational guidance.
Proposed changes
The Programmes were last updated in 2013. Since then, several changes have been made to the CMA via amendment acts passed by Parliament, and further changes are proposed to be made by the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 2024 currently progressing through Parliament.
Updated Programmes have been drafted to reflect these past and proposed legislative changes.
The drafted text elaborates on some areas of the CMA where Ministerial discretion applies. This provides structure and clarity to permit and licence holders, applicants, and decision-makers.
Below is a high-level summary of the proposed changes:
- New chapters have been drafted on decommissioning (to be added to the Petroleum Programme) and on the proposed new Tier 3 minerals mining permit (to be added to the Minerals Programme).
- New allocation methods for petroleum permits have been introduced in the Petroleum Programme.
- Technical amendments have been drafted to give effect to a range of other CMA policy changes.
- General changes have been drafted to correct errors, update information and reduce regulatory inefficiencies.
Decommissioning guidelines
We have developed guidelines on financial securities and financial capability to support Chapter 13 of the draft Petroleum Programme. Draft versions of these guidelines are available below.
Draft Guidelines on Financial Capability for Petroleum Decommissioning – December 2024 [PDF 313KB]
Draft Guidelines on Financial Securities for Petroleum Decommissioning - December 2024 [PDF 717KB]
Consultation
The Minister released the draft Programmes for consultation from November 2024 - February 2025.
Now that consultation has closed, officials are analysing submissions in advance of providing the Minister with advice on the matters raised in submissions relating to the Programmes. As changes being made to the Programmes reflect the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 2024, the Minister's decisions and timing of those decisions will depend on the Bill.
If you made a submission on the Programme or draft guidelines on financial securities and financial capability to support Chapter 13 of the draft Petroleum Programme, we thank you and will update you when decisions have been made.