mpjv

QUESTIONS
No. 188
Wednesday, 12 March 2008


LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
QUESTIONS ASKED TODAY
Notice given Wednesday, 12 March 2008
5995. Hon Giz Watson to the Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for State Development

Hydro Aluminum (Hydro) is the world’s third largest integrated aluminum producer and is at least 43.8 percent beneficially owned by the Norwegian Government. On 17 August, 2007, the Minister for State Development, in answer to question on notice No. 4941, indicated that Government agencies had been in communication with Hydro about Mitchell Plateau Temporary Reserve TR 70/5610H (TR) since 17 October 2005. The TR is currently held by the Mitchell Plateau Joint Venture (MPJV), split jointly between Rio Tinto (65.625 percent) and Alcoa (34.375 percent). The TR expired on or about 31 December 2007. On or about 14 May 2007, Hydro signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with United Minerals Corporation (UMC) to explore the possibility of bauxite mining and alumina refining in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. For the purposes of these questions, UMC includes its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bauxite Australia Pty Ltd. On or about 13 November 2007, Hydro announced its entry into a joint venture (JV) with UMC with the intention of ‘recovering bauxite and producing alumina in Kimberley, Western Australia’, and I ask -
(1) Does the TR remain in force?
(2) If yes to (1), is the MPJV in default of its obligations under the terms of the Alumina Refinery (Mitchell Plateau) Agreement 1971, (Mitchell Plateau State Agreement)?
(3) If yes to (2), has the MPJV’s rights of occupancy to the TR been renewed?
(4) If yes to (3), on what date, and until when?
(5) If no to (3), has the Mitchell Plateau State Agreement ended?
(6) If yes to (5), does the Minister intend to reclassify the TR as a section 19 area in accordance
with the Mining Act 1978?
(7) If no to (1), has the TR been re-classified as a section 19 area in accordance with the Mining
Act 1978?
(8) What fees and other payments (whether cash or in-kind) are made by the MPJV to
Government and/or its agencies on an annual and/or more regular basis in relation to the TR,
including, -
(a) the entity from which each payment is made;
(b) the amount of each payment;
(c) the Department and/or Agency to which each payment is made;
(d) the Department and/or Agency charged with responsibility for issuing each invoice to
the MPJV and/or its associated parties; and
(e) the regularity with which each individual Department and/or Agency issues invoices
to the MPJV and/or its associated parties?
(9) Have any Departments or Agencies, or any members of individual departments or agencies
been instructed not to invoice the MPJV and/or its associated parties in, -
(a) the financial year ended 30 June 2008; and
(b) the financial year ended 30 June 2009?
(10) If yes to (9), please outline, -
(a) each Department or Agency which has been instructed not to invoice the MPJV and/or
its associated parties and when;
(b) the periods in which they would have ordinarily been required to invoice the MPJV
and/or its associated parties; and
(c) the amounts foregone by each individual Department or Agency as a result of each
Department or Agency foregoing the invoicing of the MPJV and/or its associated
parties?
(11) If yes to (9), please outline the reasons why each individual Department or Agency has been
instructed not to invoice the MPJV and or its associated parties in the subject period(s).
(12) The Mitchell Plateau is a remnant of an elevated and dissected laterite-capped eroded plain which is bordered by a lower-lying sandstone plateau. The bauxite deposits occur in a lateritic sheet which ranges in thickness from two to five metres and covers an area of 400 square kilometres. What is the total area of the TR (as measured in square kilometres)?
(13) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current Geological Survey of Western Australia
(GSWA) data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the TR (without
beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values; and
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the TR (after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values?
(14) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current GSWA data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the deposit known as Lone Dingo (without beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values; and
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the deposit known as Lone Dingo (after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values?
(15) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current GSWA data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the area known as Northern Plateau (without beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values;
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the area known as Northern Plateau (after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica values?
(16) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current GSWA data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the area known as the
Central Plateau (without beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and reactive silica
values; and
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the deposit known as the Central Plateau
(after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades and
reactive silica values?
(17) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current GSWA data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the deposit known as
South Plateau - West (without beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and reactive
silica values; and
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the deposit known as South Plateau -
West (after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades
and reactive silica values?
(18) As at 6 March 2008, and in accordance with current GSWA data, what are the, -
(a) total drill-indicated in-situ bauxite reserves contained within the deposit known as
South Plateau - Central (without beneficiation) including tonnages, grades and
reactive silica values; and
(b) total drill-indicated reserves contained within the deposit known as South Plateau -
Central (after beneficiation using the hole cut-off method) including tonnages, grades
and reactive silica values?
(19) Can the Minister please show spatially the area and boundaries of known bauxite reserves
within the TR in relation to current TR boundaries?
(20) Can the Minister please show spatially the area and boundaries of the lateritic sheet(s) within
the TR in relation to current TR boundaries?
(21) In relation to Norsk Hydro and/or its associated entities, including Worley Parsons, (Hydro),
has the Government or its Agencies had direct communications with Hydro in relation to the
TR since 19 June 2007?
(22) If yes to (21), with whom and on what dates have these communications taken place?
(23) Can the Minister please table the communications between the Government or its Agencies
with Hydro in relation to the TR?
(24) If no to (23), to the extent that the communications have related to the status of the occupancy
rights to the TR, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to Hydro?
(25) If no to (23), to the extent that the communications have not related to the status of the
occupancy rights to the TR, but have related to bauxite mining and/or alumina developments
in the Kimberley region, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to Hydro?
(26) In relation to Norsk Hydro and/or its associated entities, including Worley Parsons, (Hydro),
has the Government or its agencies had direct communications jointly with Hydro and
members of the MPJV or their associated entities in relation to the TR since 19 June 2007?
(27) If yes to (26), with whom and on what dates have these communications taken place?
(28) Can the Minister please table the joint communications between the Government or its
Agencies with Hydro and members of the MPJV or their associated entities in relation to the
TR?
(29) If no to (28), to the extent that the communications have related to the status of the occupancy
rights to the TR, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to Hydro and members of the MPJV or
their associated entities?
(30) If no to (28), to the extent that the communications have not related to the status of the
occupancy rights to the TR, but have related to bauxite mining and/or alumina developments
in the Kimberley region, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to Hydro and members of the MPJV or
their associated entities?
(31) In relation to UMC and/or its associated entities, including Worley Parsons, (Hydro), has the
Government or its agencies had direct communications with UMC in relation to the TR
since 19 June 2007?
(32) If yes to (31), with whom and on what dates have these communications taken place?
(33) Can the Minister please table the communications between the Government or its Agencies
with UMC in relation to the TR?
(34) If no to (33), to the extent that the communications have related to the status of the occupancy
rights to the TR, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to UMC?
(35) If no to (33), to the extent that the communications have not related to the status of the
occupancy rights to the TR, but have related to bauxite mining and/or alumina developments
in the Kimberley region, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to UMC?
(36) In relation to UMC and/or its associated entities, including Worley Parsons, (UMC), has the
Government or its agencies had direct communications jointly with UMC and members of the
MPJV or their associated entities in relation to the TR since 19 June 2007?
(37) If yes to (36), with whom and on what dates have these communications taken place?
(38) Can the Minister please table the joint communications between the Government or its
Agencies with UMC and members of the MPJV or their associated entities in relation to the
TR?
(39) If no to (38), to the extent that the communications have related to the status of the occupancy
rights to the TR, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to UMC and members of the MPJV or
their associated entities?
(40) If no to (38), to the extent that the communications have not related to the status of the
occupancy rights to the TR, but have related to bauxite mining and/or alumina developments
in the Kimberley region, can the Minister please provide a detailed overview as to what the
Government and/or its Agencies have communicated to UMC and members of the MPJV or
their associated entities?
(41) Has the Government and/or its Agencies (including any consultants) had any communications
with the MPJV and/or its associated entities (including its consultants) in relation to the
relinquishment of all or part of the area incorporated within the TR to Hydro and/or UMC
and/or the Hydro/UMC JV and/or one or more of the aforementioned parties or entities
associated therewith?
(42) If yes to (41), with whom and on what date did these communications first take place?
(43) If yes to (41), with whom and on what other dates have these communications taken place?
(44) If yes to (41), can the Minister please table the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the MPJV in relation to the relinquishment of all or part of the area incorporated within the TR to Hydro and/or UMC and/or the Hydro/UMC JV and/or one or more of the aforementioned parties or entities associated therewith?
(45) If yes to (41), but no to (44), can the Minister please provide a detailed overview of the nature
of the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the MPJV in relation to the relinquishment of all or part of the area
incorporated within the TR to Hydro and/or UMC and/or the Hydro/UMC JV and/or one or more of the aforementioned parties or entities associated therewith, including the content of those communications?
(46) Since 1 January 2007, has the Government and/or its Agencies (including any of its consultants) been provided with feasibility studies, business plans, concept documents, or otherwise by any member of the Hydro/UMC JV and/or their associated entities (including any consultants affiliated therewith), evaluating one or more of the establishment of (not allinclusive),
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(a) a port and materials off-loading facility at any of Port Warrender, Walsh Point or MacGregor Point, at or near the Mitchell Plateau;
(b) a haul road or conveyor system from the Mitchell Plateau to a port and materials offloading facility at any of Port Warrender, Walsh Point or MacGregor Point, at or near the Mitchell Plateau;
(c) mine development plans, with various options for the sequential development of Lone Dingo and the Northern Plateau, the Central Plateau and the western and central areas of the South Plateau;
(d) the establishment of a construction workers’ accommodation village and mine
workers’ accommodation villages;
(e) options and design models for barge/ship load-out options incorporating re-claimers,
stackers, conveyors and ship loaders; and
(f) the bitumising of the Mitchell Plateau airfield to enable all-weather landing?
(47) Has the Government and/or its Agencies (including any consultants) had any communications with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC), (including any consultants), in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR since 1 January 2007?
(48) If yes to (47), with whom and on what date did these communications first take place?
(49) If yes to (47), with whom and on what other dates have these communications taken place?
(50) If yes to (47), can the Minister please table the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the KLC in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR?
(51) If yes to (47), but no to (50), can the Minister please provide a detailed overview of the nature
of the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the KLC in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR, including the content of those communications?
(52) Has the Government and/or its Agencies (including any consultants) had any communications with Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC), (including any consultants), in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR since 1 January 2007?
(53) If yes to (52), with whom and on what date did these communications first take place?
(54) If yes to (52), with whom and on what other dates have these communications taken place?
(55) If yes to (52), can the Minister please table the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the WGAC in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR?
(56) If yes to (52), but no to (55), can the Minister please provide a detailed overview of the nature of the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with the WGAC in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR, including the content of those communications?
(57) Has the Government and/or its Agencies (including any consultants) had any communications with Kandiwal Aboriginal Corporation (Kandiwal), (including any consultants), in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR since 1 January 2007?
(58) If yes to (57), with whom and on what date did these communications first take place?
(59) If yes to (57), with whom and on what other dates have these communications taken place?
(60) If yes to (57), can the Minister please table the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with Kandiwal, in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR?
(61) If yes to (57), but no to (60), can the Minister please provide a detailed overview of the nature of the communications had between the Government or its Agencies (including any consultants) with Kandiwal, in relation to the possibility of future bauxite mining of all or part of the TR, including the content of those communications?