This bill became law on Nov 29th, 2022.
Climate, energy & environment
Australia can keep regulating rehabilitation at the Ranger Project AreaThe specific land at Ranger where the uranium mine operated and where rehabilitation must now be completed. after mining has ended by letting the minister grant a new authority for clean-up, repair and monitoring work.
Ranger uranium mine stopped mining, but its section 41 authorityThe old legal approval that let the Ranger mine operate and required the operator to rehabilitate the site. and land access agreementThe agreement that gives the operator permission to access the Ranger area; it must be in place before the new authority can be granted. both expire on 8 January 2026 even though approved rehabilitation and monitoring will take longer, leaving a regulatory gap. The bill lets the minister grant a new rehabilitation-only authority so clean-up can continue under similar rules with Traditional OwnersThe Aboriginal people with recognised rights and interests in the Ranger area, whose agreement is needed for access and rehabilitation arrangements.' agreement.
A 1999 arrangement left Energy Resources of AustraliaThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. responsible for rehabilitating the Ranger uranium mine under strict environmental conditions, but after mining stopped in January 2021 it became clear the clean-up would outlast the existing authority and land access agreementThe agreement that gives the operator permission to access the Ranger area; it must be in place before the new authority can be granted. due to expire on 8 January 2026. The 2022 bill responded by creating a rehabilitation-only authority that preserved Traditional OwnersThe Aboriginal people with recognised rights and interests in the Ranger area, whose agreement is needed for access and rehabilitation arrangements.’ formal role and continuity of standards, and the scale of the task remained evident after passage when rehabilitation costs blew out and Rio Tinto offered a $760 million capital injection in August 2024.
The main concern was that the bill let rehabilitation continue but did not settle the bigger risk of ballooning cleanup costs or clearly guarantee that mining companies, rather than others, would ultimately carry the burden. This criticism appears to have been limited rather than broad: the Greens raised it while still supporting the bill, and no party represented in the debate opposed the legislation.
Madeleine King MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 29 Nov 2022
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
82 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
Australia can keep regulating rehabilitation at the Ranger Project AreaThe specific land at Ranger where the uranium mine operated and where rehabilitation must now be completed. after mining has ended by letting the minister grant a new authority for clean-up, repair and monitoring work.
The new rehabilitation authorityThe new kind of approval the bill creates so Ranger can keep being cleaned up, monitored and repaired after mining ends. cannot be used to restart mining at Ranger, because it can cover rehabilitation and related work but not mining-related operationsWork connected with mining itself, which the new rehabilitation authority cannot authorise..
Traditional OwnersThe Aboriginal people with recognised rights and interests in the Ranger area, whose agreement is needed for access and rehabilitation arrangements. keep a formal say over any new rehabilitation authorityThe new kind of approval the bill creates so Ranger can keep being cleaned up, monitored and repaired after mining ends., because the minister cannot grant one without a land access agreementThe agreement that gives the operator permission to access the Ranger area; it must be in place before the new authority can be granted. with the Land Council for the area.
The rehabilitation rules for Ranger must stay broadly in line with the old environmental requirementsThe detailed cleanup and monitoring standards Ranger must meet; the bill keeps those standards largely in place., so the clean-up standard cannot be substantially weakened or raised.
Parts of the Ranger site can be closed out and released from the authority earlier, once rehabilitation requirements for that land have been met and the Land Council has been consulted.
(1) If a person or persons apply under section 41CB the Minister may, in writing, confer on the person or persons an authority (a rehabilitation authority) to carry on any of the following:Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Act 2022 final Act text
(2) However, a rehabilitation authority (whether as originally conferred or as varied in accordance with this Act) must not authorize the carrying on of mining‑related operations in relation to any part of the land in the Ranger Project Area.Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Act 2022 final Act text
(5) The Minister must not confer a rehabilitation authority under this section unless, at the time when the rehabilitation authority is conferred, the following conditions are satisfied in relation to each area of land to which the authority relates:Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Act 2022 final Act text
(1) If a rehabilitation authority is conferred under section 41CA then the Minister must ensure that, at the time when the authority comes into force:Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Act 2022 final Act text
(2) However, the Minister may only make a declaration under subsection (1) if:Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Act 2022 final Act text
Context
A 1999 arrangement left Energy Resources of AustraliaThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. responsible for rehabilitating the Ranger uranium mine under strict environmental conditions, but after mining stopped in January 2021 it became clear the clean-up would outlast the existing authority and land access agreementThe agreement that gives the operator permission to access the Ranger area; it must be in place before the new authority can be granted. due to expire on 8 January 2026. The 2022 bill responded by creating a rehabilitation-only authority that preserved Traditional OwnersThe Aboriginal people with recognised rights and interests in the Ranger area, whose agreement is needed for access and rehabilitation arrangements.’ formal role and continuity of standards, and the scale of the task remained evident after passage when rehabilitation costs blew out and Rio Tinto offered a $760 million capital injection in August 2024.
CommonwealthThe Australian Government, which shares responsibility for regulating Ranger and owns the uranium under the law used here. and ERAThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. agree on Ranger rehabilitation after mining
Hansard records that the CommonwealthThe Australian Government, which shares responsibility for regulating Ranger and owns the uranium under the law used here. and Energy Resources of AustraliaThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. agreed ERAThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. would take charge of rehabilitating the Ranger mine site once mining ended, with stringent environmental standards attached to that commitment.
Hansard ↗Mining stops at Ranger and rehabilitation begins
Mining at Ranger ceased in January 2021 and remediation began under a framework due to lapse on 8 January 2026, even though earlier plans had assumed five years would be enough to finish the work.
Hansard ↗Government introduces a bill to extend Ranger clean-up authority
The minister said updated environmental science showed Ranger’s rehabilitation would take longer than expected, so the bill was introduced to keep the site’s obligations enforceable until the job was complete.
Hansard ↗Parliament passes the bill
Both Houses passed the bill, clearing the way for a rehabilitation-only authority that could continue with Land Council agreement and without reopening mining.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Rio Tinto offers new funding as Ranger rehabilitation pressure grows
The Australian Financial Review reported that Rio Tinto offered a $760 million capital injection after ERAThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. warned it would run out of money by Christmas, underscoring the scale and continuing cost of the rehabilitation task.
Australian Financial Review ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Referred to Committee (08/09/2022): Senate Economics Legislation Committee; Committee report (04/11/2022)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Reported from Federation Chamber
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns the bill into an Act and starts its legal operation., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main concern was that the bill let rehabilitation continue but did not settle the bigger risk of ballooning cleanup costs or clearly guarantee that mining companies, rather than others, would ultimately carry the burden. This criticism appears to have been limited rather than broad: the Greens raised it while still supporting the bill, and no party represented in the debate opposed the legislation.
No broad parliamentary case against the bill was recorded beyond funding and liability concerns.
Who pays if cleanup costs keep rising?
The sharpest criticism was that extending the legal framework for rehabilitation did not by itself resolve who would pay if Ranger's cleanup bill kept growing, creating a risk that responsibility could become contested or fall beyond the polluter. Later reporting on major cost blowouts and funding pressure reinforced that concern as an implementation risk rather than an argument against rehabilitation itself.
Cost blowouts could undermine closure certainty
A related reservation was that rehabilitation could become much more expensive and take longer than expected, which could complicate the practical delivery of mine closure even if the legal authority was extended. That was a project-execution risk around funding and delivery, not a recorded parliamentary objection to closing and rehabilitating the site.
Further sources
Votes
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
King supports the bill because it extends Ranger's regulatory framework so rehabilitation can continue until the mine is fully closed and the land can be returned.
Read in Hansard ↗Cox says the Greens support the bill because it will help rehabilitate Ranger and return the land to the Mirarr, but she warns that the funding arrangements still leave serious concerns about who will pay for the cleanup.
Read in Hansard ↗Susan McDonald says the coalition supports the bill and wants it passed, because it extends the legal framework so Ranger mine rehabilitation can be completed to high environmental standards and the site can be closed properly.
Read in Hansard ↗Tudge says the coalition supports the bill and wants it passed so ERAThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. can fully rehabilitate the Ranger mine site over the coming years.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 3 contributions · 2 support
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Madeleine King on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Minister's second reading speech
King supports the bill because it extends Ranger's regulatory framework so rehabilitation can continue until the mine is fully closed and the land can be returned. She says it is limited to rehabilitation and closure, not a restart of mining, and that the existing environmental standards and safeguards stay in place.
“Accordingly, the government is acting to extend Ranger's regulatory framework until the job is complete. The bill enacts a number of measures for securing Ranger's full rehabilitation and eventual closure.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
King supports the bill and says it is an important set of changes to secure the rehabilitation and eventual closure of the Ranger Uranium Mine. She commends it to the House and says it has bipartisan support because it will let rehabilitation continue until the site meets the required environmental standards.
“In concluding, I want to thank ERA, the Northern Land Council and the Mirarr people for the close engagement on this bill. I commend this bill to the chamber and to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“These amendments put in place a number of measures important for securing the rehabilitation and eventual closure of the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
3 speakers · 4 contributions · 3 support
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Susan McDonald on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Susan McDonald says the coalition supports the bill and wants it passed, because it extends the legal framework so Ranger mine rehabilitation can be completed to high environmental standards and the site can be closed properly. She says the bill is about remediation and monitoring, not any return to mining, and backs the safeguards and consultation requirements built into it.
“The coalition supports the passage of the Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Bill 2022. This bill is the culmination of work initiated by the former coalition government, and the coalition commends the government and the minister for continuing this important bill.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
McDonald says the coalition supports the bill and wants it passed so Energy Resources of AustraliaThe company that held the Ranger mining authority and is responsible for carrying out the rehabilitation work. can continue rehabilitation and monitoring at the Ranger site. She argues it is needed urgently to let negotiations move forward and give the project certainty.
“To conclude, the coalition supports the continued rehabilitation of the Ranger site and supports the progress of this bill to ensure that Energy Resources of Australia is able to continue its rehabilitation operations and monitoring.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“The coalition began the process of engaging with ERA over the rehabilitation of the Ranger mine under the previous government and supports this bill proceeding, in order to guarantee that Ranger can be fully rehabilitated by ERA over the coming years. We commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to support the Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Bill 2022 as it demonstrates that the coalition are certainly responsible and dedicated to balancing economic and environmental management.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 support
“The Greens support this bill, which will ultimately give the Mirarr their land back. But we hold some serious concerns about the funding of this rehabilitation, and I look forward to working with the government to ensure that companies are held responsible to clean up the mess they create.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Referred to Federation Chamber
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Reported from Federation Chamber
Reported from Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns the bill into an Act and starts its legal operation., turning the bill into an Act.
Senate Economics Legislation Committee; Committee report (04/11/2022)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (8 Sept 2022): Senate Economics Legislation Committee; Committee report (4 Nov 2022)
APH bill page notes
