Stranded WA prospector allowed to retrieve equipment after government intervention
A Western Australian prospector was stranded on a remote tenement for almost a month due to conflicting government advice. He has now been granted a three-month permit to retrieve his equipment.
A prospector who was stranded on a remote tenement in Western Australia's outback for almost a month due to conflicting advice from the government has been granted permission to retrieve his equipment.
Dale Richardson, who has held the tenement near Cosmo Newbery, about 1,000 kilometres north-east of Perth, since 2021 under the WA Mining Act, faced over two years of confusion over whether he could access the land without breaching WA's Aboriginal Heritage and Planning laws.
Years of confusion
The road to the tenement passes through the Cosmo Newbery West and South Aboriginal Reserves, generally requiring permission to access under the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act.
In December 2022, former Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti wrote to Mr Richardson confirming he did not need a permit to travel along the road.
However, in February, the department advised the minister's earlier ruling had been incorrect, based on an additional investigation and information provided by Central Desert Native Title Services.
The department initially advised the road Mr Richardson was using did not meet the gazetted route, and he would be obliged to use a track that had not been maintained for more than 60 years.
But in a subsequent update, it ruled a Federal Native Title decision meant the road was no longer gazetted, and he would need a separate mining permit to use it.