Conflicting advice left prospector stranded on outback tenement
A prospector receives a three-month permit to retrieve and secure his equipment after years of conflicting advice forced him to break the law to leave his outback tenement.
Goldfields prospector Dale Richardson was left stranded for nearly a month at a remote outback tenement due to conflicting legal advice on accessing the site. The 1,000km journey from Perth to the Cosmo Newbery region began in late February 2024 when Mr Richardson received conflicting guidance from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the former Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti.
Mr Richardson held approval for the tenement since 2021 under the WA Mining Act, but faced uncertainty over whether he could access the site without breaching Aboriginal Heritage and Planning laws. The confusion culminated in his being stranded on the tenement in March 2024 when the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage reversed its earlier decision, declaring the road he was using no longer met the gazetted route and requiring a separate mining permit.
Despite having an Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act permit since 2021, Mr Richardson's situation highlights the need for clearer and more consistent rules around land access and exploration, a matter that the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies has called for targeted amendments to address.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
