PERTH (miningweekly.com) − The Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), a weapons-testing range located in South Australia, has been opened for resources development, Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson announced.

The WPA, which covers an area of 127 000 km², was declared a prohibited area under of the Defence Force Regulations and is used for the testing of Royal Australian Air Force war material.

Ferguson said defence would remain the primary user of the WPA, but that the area would be divided into green, amber and red zones, each offering different levels of access or timeshare to nondefence users.

Mining already occurs in the WPA and there were further mineral deposits of potential economic significance located within the WPA’s current boundaries.

“The WPA has great economic potential, with estimates that more than A$35-billion of developments, including iron-ore, gold and uranium projects would be possible over the next decade,” said Ferguson.

The Minister said a joint Commonwealth/South Australian government coordination office, in consultation with industry, would develop detailed financial, legislative and regulatory arrangements for a new management framework for the WPA.

A six-month moratorium on all but the most advanced applications for access to the WPA would see the development of necessary protocols, he added.

“During this time, the WPA coordination office will process any outstanding applications, identified by the South Australian government, where nondefence users are close to settling access arrangements with defence.”

MINING IN THE WPA

The federal government would consider all exploration and mining applications within the WPA on a case-by-case basis, the government said, examining a range of operational, safety and national security issues in determining whether a particular mining activity could co-exist with defence activities.

In making its assessment, the government would consult with the company concerned, as well as with the state government.

Ferguson said that the sensitivity of activities conducted in the WPA meant that the prospect of foreign involvement in a resource company would likely raise national security issues in relation to proposed activities within the WPA.

As such, foreign-owned companies that were seeking to invest in the WPA region would have to undergo a government review to determine whether its involvement in the area would be appropriate. These companies would first have to seek an assessment from the Department of Defence before making an application to the Foreign Investment Review Board.

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