Ann: Quarterly Activities Report, page-59

You may well be right , Nikolal ...that the Approval might be just one of a number of "tools" the NSW Govt is stretching out time wise ( by a small margin ) , to endeavour to get the best positive information flow out before the late March Elections .
The document makes an interesting read ...and you can sense ALK'S frustrations. Its almost like The Dept of Planning , are playing with semantics , on the final design , operation and last SAR open pit , due to be commissioned and mined late in the 2023's .
One particular para caught the eye ..and whilst you need to read the whole response , its worth repeating !

"Finally , the Applicant notes that is was agreed with the Department experts at the meeting on the 1st Nonemeber 2022 that the modelling would provide general information in relation to the final void concepts.The modelling was not intended to providedefinitive designs for the final void . Theconclusion presented thereforewas based on the best information availaable at the present time and would be expected to be updated and refined based on further information obtained during the mining of the initial pits ."


This reads as if , 3 months ago , the meeting of ALK and the NSW Govt experts , met and achieved agreemernt on a final contentious points ...and yet here we are , three months later , still debating an issue or issues , that will the subject of modification in the "practical and actual course of mining "!
Maybe it underlines the case , of when you are in Election Mode , standing Govts with clutch at any straw that you think might help your case ...and bugger the working popuation of Tomingley and Dubbo , and investors as well . If thats the case , you have to love Bureaucrats living in the Sydney suburb of Paramatta !
Just a view , and AIMHO.