THE Shire of Mundaring has backed calls for permanent mining avoidance zones to protect the Mundaring Weir catchment.

The result is consistent with the shire’s position following Alcoa’s withdrawal of a proposed exploration drilling in the area.

Council supported Kalamunda MLA Adam Hort’s advocacy to the state government for publicly mapped zones protecting the catchment from future exploration, drilling, mining and associated infrastructure.

The proposed protections aimed to give residents greater certainty about where mining activities could occur and address council’s concern that other companies could seek access in future.

Mr Hort said the issue was important and personal to him as he grew up in the hills and was raising his own family in the area.

“The hills belongs to so many people in so many different ways,” he said.

“It’s home to families, growers, local businesses and communities who have built their lives here over generations – we must protect it.”

Mr Hort’s broader campaign seeks permanent protection across relevant parts of the Perth Hills, including Kalamunda, Mundaring and important water catchments.

He wants the protections to cover investigative drilling, mine pits, mining roads and associated infrastructure, and apply regardless of which company proposes the activities.

Mr Hort said withdrawing immediate exploration plans did not provide the lasting certainty he was seeking for Perth Hills communities.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Shire of Mundaring for backing this proposal and recognising that this important part of our home deserves lasting protection,” he said.

The latest council support follows Alcoa’s November 2025 announcement that it would remove potential exploration areas within Mundaring and other hills local government areas from its proposed plans.

As reported in Alcoa removes Perth Hills from their exploration area, Alcoa announced last year they would no longer conduct exploratory drilling in the Perth Hills, following opposition from the community and its representatives.

Alcoa said the changes followed community and stakeholder feedback, acknowledging the environmental and social importance of the Perth Hills.

The company maintained that exploration drilling was a low-impact activity intended to improve geological knowledge and did not indicate an intention to mine an area.

Mundaring council’s opposition dates back to August 2025, when it unanimously opposed exploration and mining in the Northern Jarrah Forest and requested the catchment’s removal from Alcoa’s exploration drilling program.

Mr Hort has since written to Premier Roger Cook and State Development Minister David Michael seeking permanent protections.

A timeline for a result on the protections is yet to be established.