The introduction of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) has ensured that the community of Western Australia will not pay for the rehabilitation activities at Ellendale, or any other mining operation that may become abandoned in the future.

The MRF is a first of its kind securities model. The MRF is a pooled fund contributed to annually by Western Australian mining operators. Money in the fund is available to rehabilitate abandoned mines as a last resort, when the operator fails to meet its approval obligations.

For the Ellendale Diamond Mine, the Department of Mines and Petroleum has accessed MRF funds to address significant safety and environmental concerns as it has been gazetted as an abonded site under the Mining Rehabiltation Fund Act 2012.

DMP is proposing to engage a suitably qualified and experienced civil earthworks contractor to undertaken remediation works on the walls of the main Ellendale Tailings Storage Facility to ensure that the facility remains safe and stable. This work will be done in Q4 2016 and will primarily involve placing rock material in areas where significant scour and erosion occurs.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum is calling quotes for this work.