Re Nornico Pty Ltd

The Land Court of Queensland considered an application by Nornico Pty Ltd for a mining lease over land 40 km north of Greenvale. Nornico sought to mine for gold, cobalt ore, chromite, copper ore, iron ore, manganese ore, nickel ore, palladium, platinum, scandium, and zinc ore for a term of 21 years. The Registrar had issued a Certificate of Application, indicating compliance with the Mineral Resources Act 1989. No objections were lodged, and Nornico requested that the matter be dealt with on the papers.

The court had to decide whether to dispense with a hearing and whether to recommend granting the mining lease. Under section 270 of the Act, the court may dispense with a hearing if satisfied that the application complies with part 7 of the Act. The court considered the criteria in section 269(4) and found that the application met all the requirements. The land was mineralised, the proposed operations were appropriate, and there were no grounds for refusal. Nornico had the necessary financial and technical capabilities, and the application did not prejudice existing exploration permits or mineral development licences.

Based on the evidence, the court recommended granting the mining lease over the whole application area for the purpose and term sought by Nornico. The court dispensed with a hearing and ordered that the matter be dealt with on the papers. The court recommended that the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade grant the mining lease.