THE City of Kalamunda has deferred a decision on whether to support permanent mining avoidance zones, voting seven to two at its ordinary council meeting on October 27 to delay the matter until late November for further briefings on potential unintended consequences.

The move follows a vote by the neighbouring Shire of Mundaring earlier this month, in support of Kalamunda MLA Adam Hort’s campaign for state-level mining protections across the Perth Hills and the Mundaring Weir catchment, as earlier reported in Mundaring backs permanent mining protections.

Under the initial officer recommendation, council was asked to request that the state government introduce binding statutory protections to prohibit all future exploration, investigative drilling, mine pits, and associated infrastructure regardless of the proponent.

However, the original motion to support the protections was lost four votes to five after several councillors raised concerns that elected members lacked sufficient information regarding potential impacts on community access and the overall legal complexity of state-level mining leases.

Following the defeat of the officer recommendation, council carried the alternative deferral motion, with officers now set to present a detailed briefing prior to the November meeting.

Responding to the deferral, Mr Hort welcomed the council taking time to consider the matter fully.

“I appreciate the City of Kalamunda taking the time to give this important matter further consideration and fully respect council’s independent decision-making process,” Mr Hort said.

“I look forward to hearing the outcome at the next council meeting, and whatever the outcome, I remain committed to working towards permanent protection of the Perth Hills from future mining and exploration.”

His comments follow a grievance he raised in the Legislative Assembly on October 22, where he questioned whether the state government would commit to permanent protections to give Perth Hills communities long-term certainty.

“Will WA Labor support my calls to permanently protect our part of the Perth Hills from future mining and exploration, because that is what our community is asking for - a commitment that the places we live, work, and raise our families will be protected for generations to come,” Mr Hort said.

In response, Minister for State Development David Michael said the state government was actively working with Alcoa to update its regulatory framework but cautioned that altering longstanding State Agreements required careful negotiation.

“I understand that the member’s chief concern is that Alcoa’s self-declared mining avoidance zone internal company policies mean Alcoa could change its position anytime and re-enter these areas for exploration and mining, as they remain part of Alcoa’s Mineral Lease 1SA,” Mr Michael said.

“Again, we must remember that the mining lease was granted to Alcoa through a State Agreement, and we need to negotiate with Alcoa on any change to that as part of State Agreement negotiations.”