What it does
The Mineral Titles Act 2010 (the Act) establishes a comprehensive statutory framework for the granting, regulation, variation, transfer and cancellation of rights to explore for, evaluate, extract, process and sell minerals and extractive minerals on all land of the Territory (s 5). It replaces the former Mining Act 1980 with a modern, title-based system that distinguishes between minerals (s 9: inorganic elements/compounds, coal, lignite, oil shale, salt and prescribed substances) and extractive minerals (s 10: soil, sand, gravel, rock, peat and prescribed substances).
The Act creates seven distinct mineral titles (s 11(1)):
- Mineral exploration licence (EL) – exclusive right to explore for minerals, occupy the title area and apply for a mineral lease (s 26).
- Mineral exploration licence in retention (ELR) – for situations where an ore body is identified but mining is not yet commercially viable (ss 33–39).
- Mineral lease (ML) – exclusive right to mine, process and sell minerals, conduct ancillary activities or operate tourist fossicking (ss 40–45).
- Extractive mineral exploration licence (EMEL), extractive mineral permit (EMP) and extractive mineral lease (EML) – parallel but simplified regime for surface extraction and mining of extractive minerals (Part 4).
- Mineral authority (MA) – a flexible title issued over general reserved land that mirrors the rights and obligations of a corresponding title under Part 3 or 4 (s 118).
Authorised activities are exhaustively listed for each title (ss 31, 37, 44, 48, 53, 57) and are conditioned on compliance with technical work programs (s 13), notice to landowners (ss 32, 49), rent and royalty payments (ss 95–96), environmental security (via cross-reference to the Environment Protection Act 2019) and rehabilitation obligations.