Skip to main content

A NSW Government website

Rehabilitation reports

Regulating mine rehabilitation in NSW

Watch our video - Regulating Mine Rehabilitation in NSW

The NSW Resources Regulator is responsible for regulating rehabilitation under the Mining Act 1992 and the conditions of the relevant mining lease. This includes:

  • ensuring rehabilitation is carried out progressively, that is, as soon as reasonably practicable following disturbance
  • ensuring rehabilitation achieves the approved rehabilitation objectives and rehabilitation completion criteria requiring proponents to prepare and implement a mining operations plan (MOP) / rehabilitation management plan (RMP)
  • requiring proponents to prepare and submit an annual rehabilitation report that demonstrates how rehabilitation is progressing against approved performance measures and timeframes
  • ensuring rehabilitation activities achieve the final post-mining landform and land use(s) approved under the development consent
  • monitoring and enforcing rehabilitation activities to ensure that exploration and mining-affected land is left in a safe and stable condition.

The Regulator uses a range of regulatory tools under the Mining Act 1992 to ensure that rehabilitation is undertaken in a timely manner and in accordance with approved commitments.

Targeted assessment program (TAP) reports

A crucial part of our compliance and enforcement strategy involves implementing a scheduled and targeted assessment program for mines. We have developed targeted assessment programs (TAPs) around a range of identified critical controls. The TAPs proactively assesses how effectively a mine controls risks and manages compliance with the preventative and mitigating controls that are critical in planning for and implementing mine site rehabilitation.

Each TAP focuses on the implementation of a specific critical control or compliance priority. TAP reports are published following the completion of a TAP and can be accessed here.

Exploration and mining rehabilitation reports

The Exploration and Mining Rehabilitation report is an annual report published to provide information about our regulatory activities under the Mining Act. By publishing this information, we aim to increase transparency, community and industry confidence in our regulatory activities and increase levels of voluntary compliance.

Exploration and mining rehabilitation report FY23 (PDF, 865.86 KB)

Exploration and mining rehabilitation report January-June 2021 (PDF, 1.49 MB)

Exploration and mining rehabilitation report July-December 2020 (PDF, 2.58 MB)

Exploration and mining rehabilitation report January-June 2020 (PDF, 3.27 MB)

Rehabilitation information releases

View the Rehabilitation information release dashboard for a detailed and integrated geospatial overview of rehabilitation assessments.

Rehabilitation information release Name Date published Location
RIR21-03 (PDF, 2.66 MB) Geomorphic landform establishment at Mount Pleasant Operations coal mine 6 August 2021 Muswellbrook, NSW
RIR21-02 (PDF, 1.85 MB) Rehabilitation of Western Emplacement Area at Ravensworth Operations 25 June 2021 Ravensworth, Hunter Valley, NSW
RIR21-01 (PDF, 4.21 MB) Catherine Hill Bay coal preparation plant and coal bin rehabilitation achieves residential, recreational and open space land uses 3 June 2021 Catherine Hill Bay, NSW
IIR20-16 (PDF, 1.6 MB) Investigation into illegal mining 18 November 2020 Rickey’s Lane, Sapphire (near Inverell), NSW
RIR20-06 (PDF, 2.76 MB) Horsley Park Quarry rehabilitation 1 July 2020 Western Sydney, NSW
RIR20-05 (PDF, 3.09 MB) Ulan Coal Mine 22 June 2020 Mudgee, NSW
RIR20-04 (PDF, 2.37 MB) Fieldsend Clay Mine returns to native bushland 4 June 2020 Metford, NSW
RIR20-03 (PDF, 1.62 MB) Westside open cut returns to bushland
View the Achieving rehabilitation completion at Westside Mine interactive story map
15 May 2020 Wakefield, NSW
RIR20-02 (PDF, 4.21 MB) Catherine Hill Bay Coal Preparation Plant rehabilitation achieves residential land use 6 May 2020 Catherine Hill Bay, NSW
RIR20-01 (PDF, 2.85 MB) Kempsey Clay Mine rehabilitation 27 April 2020 Kempsey NSW
IIR19-12 (PDF, 487.22 KB) Rehabilitation at the former Nymboida Clay Mine 2 October 2019 Nymboida, south west of Grafton, NSW
IIR19-10 (PDF, 744.96 KB) Improving rehabilitation, sediment and erosion controls at Castillo Copper exploration project 4 September 2019 Castillo Copper exploration project, Cangai, NSW
IIR19-08 (PDF, 592.52 KB) Improving progressive rehabilitation at Whitehaven's open cut coal mines 1 August 2019 Whitehaven, NSW

Mine Rehabilitation News

Mine Rehabilitation News is an online newsletter published quarterly by the NSW Resources Regulator covering the latest mine rehabilitation outcomes, events, publications and environment news.

Subscribe here to receive Mine Rehabilitation News.

Previous editions of Mine Rehabilitation News are available here