The four sites were presented to the Mining Rehabilitation Advisory Panel earlier this year for consideration and costing for future rehabilitation.

The sites presented also include Elverdton near Ravensthorpe, the ProForce site near Coolgardie, and an abandoned tailings storage facility at Bulong, east of Kalgoorlie.

The panel had since recommended all four sites for gazettal under the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Act, according to WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion.

“Gazetting these sites is the first step in being able to rehabilitate them using interest earned on the MRF in the future,” he said.

“Under the legislation, interest generated on the fund can be used to rehabilitate legacy abandoned mine sites throughout the state.”

Before implementation of the MRF, mining tenements required Unconditional Performance Bonds as security to ensure tenement holders fulfilled their environmental rehabilitation commitments.

“Two of the sites that have been recommended for gazettal had bonds held against them that have been called in to use for rehabilitation work,” Marmion said.

“Future works on these pilot sites will provide detailed information that will contribute to the review of the MRF that’s currently scheduled for 2017, and the disturbance types and rates in the MRF regulations.”

The Department of Mines and Petroleum is working on a policy for abandoned mines which will incorporate expert input from the advisory panel.