Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office

A legal drafting workshop on the draft Woomera Prohibited Area Deed of Access (Minerals Exploration) will be held in Canberra on 7 June 2012, to work through issues raised in the public consultation in Adelaide.

Public consultation on the revised Woomera Prohibited Area Deed of Access (Minerals Exploration) was held in Adelaide in May 2012. Comments on the draft Deed should be emailed to the WPA Coordination Office by 15 June 2012 to ensure they are considered.

The Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) Coordination Office is a joint Australian Government—South Australian Government office established to administer non-Defence use of the WPA.

The office was established following the Australian Government’s endorsement of the recommendations of the Government Review of the Woomera Prohibited Area Final Report on 3 May 2011.

The WPA Coordination Office’s objectives are to:

• administer all aspects of non-Defence access to the WPA
• develop a comprehensive range management framework
• ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to approving non-Defence access to the WPA, while preserving Australia’s national interests.

The WPA is an important Defence capability and testing and evaluation asset that plays a significant role in Australia’s national security.

The WPA is also highly prospective and the South Australian Government estimates that more than $35 billion in developments, iron ore, gold and uranium projects could be possible over the next decade.

We are currently in the moratorium phase of implementation. During this phase the WPA Coordination Office is:

• processing outstanding applications for Deeds of Access (Exploration) to access the WPA
• developing access conditions for non-Defence users, standard Deeds of Access, enforcement policy and an application process for non-Defence access
• identifying improvements required for the WPA range management system and establishing a compliance capability
• establishing the advisory board and reference group.

  If you have any questions or would like additional information please contact the WPA Coordination Office.