Memorandum of Understanding for Collaborative Arrangements between the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Mines and Petroleum

The purpose of this MOU is to outline principles that will foster a strong partnership and develop collaborative working arrangements between the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Mines and Petroleum (the Parties) so that each Party can deliver its roles and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Specifically the MOU covers:

1. defining the respective roles and responsibilities of the Parties; 
2. principles that will foster a strong partnership between the Parties; and
3. collaborative working arrangements that support efficient and effective environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes, implementation of DMP roles, and development of environmental policy.

In implementing the MOU the Parties will take account of the State Government's focus on improving assessment and approvals for major projects, including mineral, petroleum and geothermal proposals, by:

• overlap and duplication; and
• supporting a clear and consistent risk based approach in EIA processes.