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Mineral Resources Tasmania

About us

Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) is a Division of the Department of State Growth. The purpose of MRT is to give effect to government policy in relation to minerals and petroleum resources, and the Division provides essential information for land management in Tasmania.

The focus of MRT is to produce and promote up-to-date geoscientific information on Tasmania as an aid to the mineral and petroleum exploration industries, other government agencies and the general public, in order to improve the State's economic position, and to promote sustainable land-use planning and environmental management.

Under present Government legislation and policy, MRT is responsible for:

  • Collection, integration, interpretation, publication and presentation of geoscientific information.
  • Collection, integration, interpretation, publication and presentation of information promoting Tasmania's mineral resource potential, and land stability issues.
  • Issue of legal titles to mining tenements, collation and recording of statistics relating to mining production, collection of fees and rentals, management of royalty regimes, and recording of mining tenements.
  • Regulation of mineral and petroleum exploration in Tasmania, including offshore waters administered by the State, and the promotion of vacant areas available for onshore and offshore exploration.
  • Environmental appraisal, monitoring and management of mining heritage and land access issues.
  • Setting and monitoring of standards for both the performance of exploration activities and the technical reporting of exploration records and case histories.

The future will be based on new mineral discoveries arising out of strong private sector commitment to Tasmania's mineral prospectivity; encouraging and assisting the mining sector to make better use of the State's resources by exploration, market research and improvement in environmental performance.

These aims are based on a number of principles.

  • The long-term vigour of Tasmania's mining sector depends on strong exploration and research expenditure, to identify new opportunities and ensure identified resources are properly utilised.
  • The pursuit of excellence in environmental management benefits the mining sector as well as the broader community, and increases community acceptance of mining as an essential industry.
  • The use of geoscientific data is essential for rational land-use planning.
  • Management of geohazards (e.g. landslides and identification of waste disposal sites) is essential.
  • Geological information is essential for municipal planning to ensure residential development does not sterilise mineral and stone resources.
  • Geoscientific information is also required to develop management strategies for all Crown Land, so that the provision of future mineral and stone resources required by the community can be managed without compromise to other values.

Mineral Resources Tasmania employs professional staff to assist existing and prospective mining companies by providing relevant information on the geology and mineral prospectivity of Tasmania. These activities provide a stimulus for a sustainable mining industry, which in turn creates employment for Tasmanians. The agency operates extensive computer-supported databases, and is the custodian of an extensive library which is maintained as a service to the industry and community.