Code of Practice for Small Quarries

From 1 January 2010, Victoria’s extractive industries must operate according to new provisions included in the Mineral Resources
(Sustainable Development) Act 1990 (MRSD Act). The MRSD Act replaces the Extractive Industries Development Act 1995 as the Act which governs extractive industries. The regulation of the mining and extractive industry sectors through one piece of legislation allows greater streamlining and consistency of regulation for these sectors.

The MRSD Act is administered by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI). One of the objectives of the MRSD Act is to ensure that operations are carried out within safe operating standards and in a manner that ensures rehabilitation of land to a safe and stable landform. A Code of Practice for Small Quarries (the Code) has been developed to support this objective in relation to certain small-scale quarries which are exempt from the Work Plan requirements of the MRSD Act.

Extractive industries are defined in the MRSD Act as the extraction or removal of stone from land if the primary purposebof the extraction or removal is the sale or commercial use of the stone, or the use of the stone in construction, building, road or
manufacturing works. The MRSD Act defines stone as:
• sandstone, freestone or other building stone, or
• basalt, granite, limestone or rock of any kind ordinarily used
for building, manufacturing, or construction purposes, or
• quartz (other than quartz crystals), or
• slate or gravel, or
• clay (other than fine clay, bentonite or kaolin), or
• peat, or
• sand, earth or soil, or
• other similar materials.
Extractive industries provide vital resources to the community for building, construction and infrastructure. However, extractive industry activities have the potential to have negative impacts on people and the environment. The Code creates obligations which Work Authority holders must meet in relation to the management and control of these impacts when operating small quarries.