South Australian Consolidated Acts

MINING ACT 1971 - SECT 30AB

30AB—Subsequent exploration licence

        (1)         The Minister may, on the expiration of an exploration licence the term or aggregate term of which was five years, grant to the licensee an exploration licence (a "subsequent exploration licence") over the area of land, or a part of the area of land, to which the former licence applied.

        (2)         An application for a subsequent exploration licence must include the following:

            (a)         a statement outlining the exploratory operations that the licensee has carried out in pursuance of the licence since it was granted (or since it was renewed, if the licence has been renewed), showing the expenditure incurred in carrying out those operations; and

            (b)         a statement that the licensee will—

                  (i)         carry out exploratory operations of a kind and to an extent agreed between the Minister and the licensee; and

                  (ii)         spend an amount of money agreed between the Minister and the licensee in carrying out those operations.

        (3)         The holder of a subsequent exploration licence must spend (when considered on an annual basis) at least an amount of money agreed between the Minister and the licensee in carrying out operations under the licence.

        (4)         However—

            (a)         the Minister may, subject to any terms and conditions as the Minister thinks fit, exempt a licensee from the application of subsection (2) or (3); and

            (b)         the Minister may not, in entering into an agreement with a licensee under subsection (3) require the licensee to spend—

                  (i)         if the subsequent exploration licence is granted over the area of land to which the former licence applied—more than double the amount agreed between the Minister and the licensee in relation to the last year of the former licence;

                  (ii)         if the subsequent exploration licence is granted over a part of the area of land to which the former licence applied—more than an amount that bears the same proportion to double the amount agreed between the Minister and the licensee in relation to the last year of the former licence as the area of land over which the subsequent exploration licence is granted bears to the area of the former licence.

        (5)         To avoid doubt, section 30A extends to a subsequent exploration licence under this section.