Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Mineral resources

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:47): (1676) My adjournment matter for the Minister for Energy and Resources concerns Resources Victoria’s brand new proposal, published last Friday, to drastically increase regulatory fees for licence-holders across the mining and quarrying sectors. This will have knock-on consequences for businesses and construction costs across our state, but tonight I particularly want to focus on the impact on everyday Victorians who love fossicking and prospecting. These activities should be encouraged. I have spoken in the past about the physical and mental health benefits, the sense of community, connection to the outdoors and its importance to regional economies. The consultation proposes two options: a uniform 234 per cent fee increase or a targeted increase of 211 per cent for the extractive industry and 247 per cent for the minerals sector. ‘A 234 per cent increase’, you might ask. It is absurd.

The government claims it is about cost recovery. The taxpayers are subsidising the sector. But last year royalties from extractive industries in Victoria brought in $133 million. That is a significant contribution to state revenue, yet the government insists those funds do not count toward running the regulator. It is like paying massive road tolls and then being charged again to repaint the road markings. This is the latest tax raid from a Labor government desperate for cash. The prospectors and the fossickers will pay. Over 96,000 miners rights are currently on issue. This includes retirees, hobbyists, families and young people just giving it a go. They are not mining magnates. They are ordinary Victorians. The system is simple and cheap to administer: enter your details and print out a permit. You print it yourself. It is amazingly cheap for the government, yet still they want to increase the cost of a miners right from $27.80 to $93.10. That is not cost recovery, it is a barrier to entry. People will be priced out, and that hurts individuals and regional communities alike. Worse, it encourages noncompliance. When fees triple, some will fossick without a licence. That means increased enforcement costs for rangers, investigations and prosecutions. The cost of chasing people will far outweigh the revenue raised. The Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria were not consulted. The draft was dropped with only one month to respond and two predetermined outcomes, both unfair. Minister, I urge you: intervene, scrap this proposal and consult properly. Protect this proud Victorian tradition dating back to the 1855 miners right, and remember what happened the last time the government tried to exploit mining fees to bolster its revenue.