Taxes, duties, levies and royalties
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Royalties

We are responsible for collecting and auditing royalties according to the Mining Act 1992 and the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991.

A royalty is the amount charged for the transfer of the right to extract a mineral resource. It may be a coal royalty, mineral (non-coal) royalty or petroleum royalty. It is paid by the holder of the petroleum title or holder of the mining lease or sub-lease.

Non-royalty payments – rental, licence and publication fees – are made to the Department of Planning and Environment.

Lodge your return

Privately owned minerals

Minerals that are not owned or reserved by the Crown are known as ‘privately owned minerals’.

  • If you are the owner of the minerals, the Minister for Resources will pay you a royalty on your minerals that have been recovered.
  • This amount will be seven-eighths of the royalty that has been paid to us by the holder of the mining lease on those minerals.
  • For further information, please refer to the Department of Planning and Environment.

Duty payable on a mining lease acquisition

If you have acquired a mining lease by way of a transfer, you may be liable to pay duty.

  • Duty is payable by the transferee on the transfer of dutiable property, which includes mining leases.
  • Duty is not payable on the granting of a mining lease.

Keeping records

If you hold a mining lease or petroleum title, you must keep records for seven years of the minerals or petroleum you recover. We may request these records for audit and assessment purposes.

You must keep records of

  • the quantity recovered during each return period
  • the quantity disposed of, whether by sale or otherwise, during each return period
  • the quantity held (in the form in which they are disposed of) by the holder of the mining lease at the beginning and at the end of each return period
  • the price obtained or consideration received for minerals or petroleum disposed of during each return period
  • all royalties that became payable during each return period for the disposal of minerals or petroleum (including any documents relating to the calculation of that royalty).

Definitions

Learn more about the definitions relating to mineral royalty and petroleum royalty

More information

Contact the Department of Planning and Environment, Division of Resources and Geoscience for information on

  • non-royalty payments
  • applications and enquiries about mining exploration licences, mining leases and petroleum titles.