❓ This parliamentary question from Mr. Basil Zempilas scrutinizes the Aboriginal Heritage Survey Assistance Program (AHSAP), seeking detailed financial and operational data, including disbursement figures, application breakdowns, refusal reasons, and rebate structures for prospectors and explorers.
⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 2515Legislative Assembly
Asked
9 June 2026
Member
Portfolio
Mines and Petroleum; Finance; Electoral Affairs; Goldfields-Esperance
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Aboriginal Heritage Survey Assistance Program (AHSAP) and ask:
(a) To date, how much of the allocated funding for the five-year program (2023–24 to 2027–28) has been disbursed to applicants;
(b) Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the number of applications received from prospecting licence holders versus exploration licence holders;
(c) How many applications have been refused since the program's inception, and how many of those refusals were a result of a Form 5 audit revealing discrepancies;
(d) How many applications have been rejected specifically because the applicant was a major producer with an annual gross production value exceeding $600 million;
(e) What is the average dollar value of the rebate provided to prospectors (capped at 100% of rent) compared to the average value provided to explorers;
(f) Why is the rebate for exploration licence holders scheduled to drop from 50 per cent to 25 per cent of annual rent in the final two years of the program;
(g) Has the Department conducted any assessment to determine if a rebate capped at the annual tenement rent is actually sufficient to cover the real-world costs incurred by small-scale prospectors; and
(h) On what basis is there the requirement for small-scale prospectors to provide evidence of staff time spent, lawyer charges, and maps indicative of the surveyed area for small-scale operations?
Answered on
(a) To date, how much of the allocated funding for the five-year program (2023–24 to 2027–28) has been disbursed to applicants;
(b) Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the number of applications received from prospecting licence holders versus exploration licence holders;
(c) How many applications have been refused since the program's inception, and how many of those refusals were a result of a Form 5 audit revealing discrepancies;
(d) How many applications have been rejected specifically because the applicant was a major producer with an annual gross production value exceeding $600 million;
(e) What is the average dollar value of the rebate provided to prospectors (capped at 100% of rent) compared to the average value provided to explorers;
(f) Why is the rebate for exploration licence holders scheduled to drop from 50 per cent to 25 per cent of annual rent in the final two years of the program;
(g) Has the Department conducted any assessment to determine if a rebate capped at the annual tenement rent is actually sufficient to cover the real-world costs incurred by small-scale prospectors; and
(h) On what basis is there the requirement for small-scale prospectors to provide evidence of staff time spent, lawyer charges, and maps indicative of the surveyed area for small-scale operations?
Answered on
AnswerView source ↗
⏳
This question is awaiting a response from the Minister.
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