February forums to unpack how NSW mines calculate and report rehabilitation costs
Two NSW mine rehabilitation forums in February 2026 will focus on how new cost estimation tools, updated consultation rules and compliance processes affect rehabilitation planning and reporting across the mining and exploration sector.
The NSW Resources Regulator will host two mine rehabilitation forums in February 2026, with events scheduled in Newcastle and Dubbo, bringing together mining and exploration proponents to discuss rehabilitation cost estimation, compliance processes and upcoming policy consultation.
The forums will be held at NEX Newcastle on Tuesday 10 February and at the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club on Thursday 12 February. Both events will run from 9:00am to 4:00pm and will address how recent regulatory changes are being applied across NSW mine and exploration sites.
The host of these sessions, The NSW Resources Regulator, sits within NSW Resources, and is responsible for compliance and enforcement under work health and safety legislation and the Mining Act, including rehabilitation obligations across open-cut and underground mines, petroleum sites, quarries, extractive operations, tourist mines and exploration activities.
New rehabilitation cost estimation tool in focus
A central topic at both forums will be the new Rehabilitation Cost Estimation (RCE) Tool, which is now used by mining lease holders to calculate the full cost of rehabilitating a mine site and to determine the security deposit payable to government.
The staged rollout of the updated RCE Tool began on 31 October 2025, recognising that some operators were already preparing submissions using the previous version. Where a forward program is submitted before 2 March 2025, the accompanying RCE may still be prepared using the earlier tool, as outlined in guidance released in November 2025.
The forums will outline how the new tool is intended to be applied and how it interacts with existing rehabilitation planning and reporting requirements.
Reminders for explorers on RCE submissions
Explorers are reminded that all rehabilitation cost estimate submissions, including those that accompany assessable prospecting operation (APO) applications, must cover the full rehabilitation cost of obligations under an exploration licence.
This includes approved exploration activities that have not yet started, activities that are underway, and activities that have been completed but have not been formally signed off by the Department. These requirements apply regardless of whether approvals were lodged through the current online system or the former paper-based ESF4 process.
Where APO approvals specify particular rehabilitation methods, such as full grouting of drillholes, those commitments must be consistently reflected in RCE costings by selecting the relevant borehole options in the online submission.
What the February forums will cover
Across both Newcastle and Dubbo, the forums will address the implementation of recommendations from the 2024–25 NSW Audit Office review, updates to the Exploration Code of Practice for Community Consultation, refresher guidance on APO processes, policy matters scheduled for consultation, and industry-wide trends identified through the Regulator’s Targeted Assessment Programs.
Attendance at both forums is limited, and registration is required.
