Northern Territory Government
Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade Release of Independent Monitor’s Report
9 February 2024
The Northern Territory Government has today released the Independent Monitor’s Audit Report on the environmental performance of the McArthur River Mine for the May 2022-April 2023 period as part of its commitment to robust regulatory practices and sustainable development.
The role of the Independent Monitor is to provide independent assessment of the environmental performance of the McArthur River Mine. This is undertaken through review of:
Environmental performance and monitoring activities of the mine operator (McArthur River Mining Pty Ltd)Regulatory activities undertaken by the mine regulator (Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade)
A condition of the mine’s expansion in 2006 was the appointment of an Independent Monitor.
The report includes the Annual Environmental Performance Audit Report (AEPAR) and summary Annual Report Card. The report covers the operating period 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023.
The Independent Monitor, Advisian Pty Ltd, last month presented the key findings of its report directly to the Borroloola community.
The Independent Monitor reported:
both the operator and regulator of McArthur River Mine have maintained a consistently high level of overall performance;The Department’s overall compliance scores in 2023 have improved by 1% to 97% for the Authorisation, and been maintained at 98% for the NT EPA recommendationsThe Mine Operator’s overall compliance scores when compared to 2022 have improved by 1% for the Authorisation (98%) and 2% for the Water Discharge Licence (99%)no issues were identified on site requiring urgent action by the operator or regulator The past four (4) years has seen is a trend of continuous improvement in the scores attained complementing very high compliance scores (95% or higher since 2020)risk assessment and management processes adequately identified and addressed environmental risksthe health of the McArthur River has been protected from mine related impacts
The Independent Monitor has conducted additional audits during 2023 focusing on specific actions of the mining operation and reported:
air quality management at the mine is adequately set up to minimise risks of potential air emissions, particularly sulphur dioxide (SO2);surface water management at the mine achieves prevention of overtopping of dams and uncontrolled release of water thereby protecting the health of the McArthur River from mine related impactsthe Adaptive Management Plan in place for the mine meets all the requirements of the relevant conditions of Authorisation and has been enhanced following regular updating now providing greater clarity, rigour and definition of processesthere is scope in the Independent Certifying Engineer (ICE) process to make the sign-off of construction activities more complete.
The next audit will cover the period 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2024, with the next Annual Environmental Performance Audit Report and Annual Report Card to be submitted to the Minister in late in 2024.
The Independent Monitor’s Audit Report, the Annual Report Card, and the responses from MRM and the department are available online (along with all previous reports) at here
Response from Anne Tan, Deputy CEO Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade
“The Independent Monitor’s report has found that the both the operator and regulator of McArthur River Mine have maintained a consistently high level of overall compliance.
“In fact, the past four years has seen a trend of maintaining already strong compliance scores – 95% or higher since 2020.
“I commend the Operator, McArthur River Mining on achieving an overall compliance score of 98% with Authorisation conditions across its key mining operational activities, an improvement of 1 % from 2022. Full compliance was achieved for 4 of 9 environmental aspects, with scores of 97% and above for the remaining 5.
“The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade’s overall compliance score has improved by 1 % up to 97% against active Authorisation conditions, achieving full compliance in 4 of 7 Authorisation sections. This reflects ongoing regulatory activities by the departments mining officers to ensure sustainable mining practices.
“Overall the Independent Monitor found the health of the McArthur River has been protected from mine related impacts and the river and its creeks to be in good health, driven by ongoing implementation of actions to avoid or reduce environmental risk.
“There are opportunities for potential enhancements in environmental compliance and performance, and the department will continue to apply risk-based and outcomes focused regulatory activities to the Mine.”
Response from Mark Furlotte, General Manager McArthur River Mining
“McArthur River Mine welcomes the findings outlined in the Independent Monitor’s Audit Report for May 2022 to April 2023, and we acknowledge the important role the Independent Monitor continues to play in independently reviewing the environmental performance of MRM’s operations.
“The report confirms our ongoing commitment to protecting the environment and the continued positive progress we’ve made over a number of years.
“Most importantly, the report again finds the McArthur River is in good health and the fish are safe to eat.”
