The WA Greens have vowed to introduce legislation banning forest mining after the state government granted Alcoa a new exemption order and said it will 'imminently' approve the bauxite miner's 2025-2029 mining program.
The new order prohibits mining within two kilometres of water reservoirs and increases protection buffers for black cockatoo nesting trees and significant trees in the Huntly mining area from 10 to 50 metres. It also reduces Alcoa's exploration drilling footprint and requires mandatory fauna surveys, GPS recording, tree tagging and fencing before mining, with the company's Compliance Assessment Plans to be reviewed and resubmitted every six months.
The approval of the 2025-2029 Mining and Management Program will extend only to areas already referred to the state's Environmental Protection Authority or currently under assessment by the watchdog, and can be implemented only during the life of the new exemption order.
The government said in June it would update Alcoa’s exemption to reflect a new mining plan and provide 'certainty and consistency to both the regulator and Alcoa'. In 2023, WAtoday revealed Alcoa’s mining posed a risk to drinking water in Serpentine Dam, with internal documents obtained by the outlet revealing the depth of concerns within the state government.
WA Greens forest and woodlands spokeswoman Jess Beckerling said the government had given Alcoa 'another free pass from our nature laws' and the new conditions were 'a smokescreen'. 'This American company will continue its highly destructive, risky clearing and mining of the Northern Jarrah Forests, despite the profound community opposition,' she said. Beckerling said all other mining companies were required to wait for EPA assessment outcomes, and she would introduce a bill to Parliament in November to legislate a ban on forest mining.
Alcoa welcomed the exemption and the approval of its mining program. A spokesperson said the company was committed to operating in line with its 'stringent operational requirements', with environmental assessment of current and future mining regions ongoing and ministerial decisions expected during 2027. The spokesperson also said Alcoa directly employs about 4000 people in WA, with around 60 per cent living in the Peel and South West regions, and invested $2 billion with WA suppliers in 2025.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the new conditions 'will deliver enhanced protections for public drinking water sources, black cockatoo habitat and other environmentally significant values', while the government recognised mining's economic contribution and the importance of safeguarding local employment.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Alcoa's mining sits in the water catchments that supply Perth's drinking water, and the new order sets the legal distance mining must keep from reservoirs.
- The Greens argue the exemption lets Alcoa bypass the EPA assessment process required of other miners, putting the government's oversight of the industry in the spotlight.
- The Greens' bill to ban forest mining in WA, due in November, will test parliamentary support for ending the practice in the Northern Jarrah Forests.
Background
Alcoa is an American aluminium company that mines bauxite in the jarrah forests of south-west Western Australia, an area that also supplies Perth's drinking water and provides habitat for black cockatoos. The state government regulates the company through exemption orders and approved mining programs, a process the Greens say is being used to sidestep normal environmental assessment.
Key Perspectives
WA Greens: call the exemption "a free pass" and the new conditions "a smokescreen", and say Alcoa is the key driver of extinction for black cockatoos and the most significant threat to Perth's drinking water.
Alcoa: welcomes the exemption and the mining program approval, saying it operates under stringent environmental requirements and supports around 4000 jobs in WA.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn: says the new conditions deliver enhanced protections for drinking water, black cockatoo habitat and other environmental values while recognising mining's economic contribution.
What to Watch
- The introduction and progress of the Greens' forest mining ban bill in Parliament in November.
- Ministerial decisions on environmental assessment of Alcoa's mining regions, expected during 2027.
- Whether the new conditions, including two-kilometre reservoir buffers and six-monthly compliance reviews, are upheld as the exemption order is implemented.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
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- SupportedThe WA Greens have vowed to introduce legislation banning forest mining, while the government has introduced a new exemption order for Alcoa.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The WA Greens have called new exemptions handed down to bauxite miner Alcoa by the state government “a free pass to operate with impunity in WA’s forests” and vowed to introduce legislation to ban forest mining within the state. The comments come as the state government introduced a new exemption order for Alcoa”
- SupportedThe government says the new conditions strengthen protections.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The new conditions will deliver enhanced protections for public drinking water sources, black cockatoo habitat and other environmentally significant values.”
- SupportedThe Greens called the order “a free pass”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The WA Greens have called new exemptions handed down to bauxite miner Alcoa by the state government “a free pass to operate with impunity in WA’s forests””
- SupportedThe government said it would imminently approve Alcoa’s 2025–2029 Mining and Management Program.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “announced it will approve the company’s 2025-2029 Mining and Management Program “imminently”.”
- SupportedThe new order prohibits mining within two kilometres of water reservoirs.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “increasing protection buffers for water reservoirs by prohibiting mining within two kilometres”
- SupportedThe order increases buffers for black cockatoo nesting trees and significant trees in the Huntly mining area from 10 metres to 50 metres.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “increasing protection buffers for black cockatoo nesting trees and significant trees in the Huntly mining area from 10 metres to 50 metres.”
- SupportedApproval of the 2025–2029 program is limited to areas referred to the EPA or currently under assessment, and can be implemented only during the new order’s life.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The 2025-2029 MMP approval will extend only to areas in the program that had previously been referred to the state’s Environmental Protection Authority, or were currently under assessment by the watchdog, and can only be implemented during the life of the new exemption order.”
- SupportedWAtoday reported in 2023 that Alcoa’s mining posed a risk to drinking water in Serpentine Dam, based on internal documents it obtained.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “In 2023, WAtoday revealed Alcoa’s mining posed a risk to drinking water in Serpentine Dam, with internal documents obtained by this masthead revealing the depths of concerns over the situation within the state government.”
- SupportedBeckerling said the government had given Alcoa “another free pass from our nature laws”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Responding to the new restrictions announced today, WA Greens forest and woodlands spokeswoman Jess Beckerling said the government had granted Alcoa “another free pass from our nature laws”.”
- SupportedBeckerling said the new conditions were “a smokescreen”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “these new conditions are a smokescreen and completely fail to prevent potentially catastrophic impacts to forests, wildlife and water”
- SupportedBeckerling said: “This American company will continue its highly destructive, risky clearing and mining of the Northern Jarrah Forests, despite the profound community opposition.”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““This American company will continue its highly destructive, risky clearing and mining of the Northern Jarrah Forests, despite the profound community opposition,” she said.”
- Partly supportedBeckerling said all other mining companies were required to wait for EPA assessment outcomes.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““While all other mining companies are required to wait for the outcomes of an EPA assessment, Alcoa inexplicably keeps getting free passes from our nature laws.””