Timeframes for applications enabled by the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2025
In 2024, we introduced average processing timeframes for minerals and petroleum applications. In June 2025, these timeframes were reviewed, and reduced timeframes were introduced across a number of different application types. The revised timeframes apply to all applications received on and from 1 July 2025.
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The passing of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2025 enabled new application types which can be applied for from 25 September 2025. These are:
- a Tier 3 minerals mining permit, and
- an Open Market competitive process for petroleum prospecting and exploration permits.
The average processing timeframe for each of these application types is set out in the relevant table below.
The timeframes represent when an applicant can expect to receive an outcome on a complete application that includes all the relevant information. Applications that are incomplete, and require us to request further information, will take longer to process.
Permitting timeframes have not impacted the regulatory rigour applied to applications. The same processes, checks and balances are applied to every application, just on an accelerated timeline.
Minerals permit applications timeframes
| Application type | Average timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| New or subsequent applications (excluding hobby) | |
| Minerals Prospecting Permit | 120 |
| Minerals Exploration Permit | 120 |
| Tier 3 Minerals Mining Permit (new and change applications) | 60 |
| Tier 2 Minerals Mining Permit | 180 |
| Tier 1 Minerals Mining Permit | 240 |
| Changes to all existing permits | |
| Change of Conditions | 100 |
| Transfer of Interest, Change of Operator | 60 |
| Notification of Control (Tier 2 Minerals Mining Permit) | 60 |
| Consent for Change of Control (Tier 1 Minerals Mining Permit) | 60 |
| Consent to a Dealing | 120 |
| Changes to existing Minerals Prospecting and Minerals Exploration Permits | |
| Extension of Duration Appraisal | 100 |
| Extension of Duration | 100 |
| Change of Minerals | 100 |
| Extension of Land or Amalgamation | 100 |
| Changes to existing Minerals Mining Permits (Tier 1 & 2) | |
| Extension of Duration | 100 |
| Change of Minerals | 100 |
| Extension of Land or Amalgamation | 180 |
| Surrender applications | |
| Partial Surrender | 30 |
| Full Surrender | 30 |
| Surrender associated with other applications | Same as associated application |
| Competitive applications | |
| Newly Available Acreage (NAA) or Equal Priority in Time (EPIT) | 240 |
Petroleum permit applications timeframes
| Application type | Average timeframe (months) |
|---|---|
| Petroleum Mining Permit | 18 |
| Amalgamation | 12 |
| Change of conditions | 9 |
| Change of control | 9 |
| Change of operator | 9 |
| Extension of duration | 12 |
| Transfer of interest | 9 |
| Surrender or Relinquishment | 3 |
| Dealing | 4 |
| Extension of land | |
| Petroleum Mining Permit | 12 |
| Petroleum Exploration Permit | 9 |
| Open Market applications | |
| Petroleum Prospecting Permit | 3* |
| Petroleum Exploration Permit | 6* |
*Open Market Application timeframes are measured from when the period of competition ends and assumes no competing bids are received.
How the processing timeframes are calculated
Non-working days as specified in the Crown Minerals Act 1991 are not included in the calculation of processing timeframes for relevant applications.
Where we are waiting on information from an applicant in order to progress the assessment of an application, the timeframe is paused. The ‘clock’ restarts when the information is received.
For complex assessments where additional information or documents are required from an applicant, an additional 60 working days may be added to the proposed timeframe.