Re Slater

In the matter of Application for Mining Lease No 70407 by Sharyn Patricia Slater and Christopher Ian Slater, the applicants sought a mining lease for the purpose of mining gold, diamond, platinum, and sapphire on land located 34 km north of Clermont, Queensland. The application was submitted to the Land Court of Queensland, which has jurisdiction under the Mineral Resources Act 1989. The application was unopposed, and the applicants requested that the matter be dealt with on the papers.

The court was required to determine whether the application met the criteria set out in section 269(4) of the Act. This involved considering whether the provisions of the Act had been complied with, whether the land was mineralised or the purposes for which the lease was sought were appropriate, whether there would be an acceptable level of development and utilisation of the mineral resources, and whether the size, shape, and term of the lease were appropriate, among other things. The court also had to consider whether the applicants had the necessary financial and technical capabilities, whether their past performance had been satisfactory, and whether the proposed mining operation would result in any adverse environmental impacts or prejudice any public rights or interests.

After considering the evidence, the court was satisfied that the applicants had met all the criteria for the grant of a mining lease. The applicants had complied with the provisions of the Act, the land was mineralised, and the proposed mining operation would result in an acceptable level of development and utilisation of the mineral resources. The size, shape, and term of the lease were appropriate, and the applicants had the necessary financial and technical capabilities. The court was also satisfied that the proposed mining operation would not result in any adverse environmental impacts or prejudice any public rights or interests. The court therefore recommended that the Honourable the Minister for Mines and Energy grant the mining lease over the whole of the application area for a term of 20 years.

The court ordered that a hearing of the application be dispensed with and recommended that the Honourable the Minister for Mines and Energy grant the mining lease to Sharyn Patricia Slater (50%) and Christopher Ian Slater (50%) over the whole of the application area for a term of 20 years.