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Extractive industry priority project list

The extractive industry priority project list identifies quarry projects to be given priority assessment by planning authorities.

The priority project list was announced in a joint ministerial statement by the Minister for Resources and the Minister for Planning in 2018. The joint ministerial statement on extractive resources is part of the Victorian Government’s proactive plan to drive the affordability of quarry materials.

Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot

Victoria is growing fast. We need to secure the rock, gravel and sand required to build homes and infrastructure, to support our rapidly growing population.Securing extractive resources, particularly in areas close to demand for construction, is a key part of delivering Helping Victoria Grow: Extractive Resources Strategy.

The Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot aims to ensure quarries can supply raw materials well into the future while avoiding land use conflicts. The pilot locations of South Gippsland Shire and Wyndham City were identified as critical resource locations in the Extractive Resources in Victoria: Demand and Supply Study, 2015-2050.

The pilot project will provide certainty to the community by trialing the use of planning controls to secure Victoria's extractive resources. The draft planning controls intend to ensure only appropriate development and land use occurs: close to quarry sites and; on land with strategic resources. Between 2015 and 2050, 22 per cent of Greater Melbourne’s demand for sand will be supplied from South Gippsland. In 2050, 80 per cent of South Gippsland’s sand supply will be transported to Greater Melbourne.

The City of Wyndham is currently the largest producer of hard rock in Victoria. In 2018-2019, the municipality supplied around 5 million tonnes of rocks. This equates to around 12 per cent of the total hard rock produced in Victoria over that period.

The pilot project aims to safeguard resources needed to build the infrastructure and homes our state needs. It has been developed in consideration of other existing land uses, environmental assets and community interests. It supports Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 policy 1.4.2 – the need to identify and protect extractive resources such as stone and sand, important for Melbourne’s future needs.

More information about the Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot.

Extractive industry operation

On 22 March 2022, we introduced changes to all planning schemes in Victoria to support the ongoing operation of extractive industry across Victoria and increase amenity protection for nearby accommodation in rural zones.

Amendment VC219 introduced a permit requirement for accommodation, building and works associated with accommodation located within 500 m from the nearest title boundary of land on which a work authority has been applied for or granted under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990.

Find out more about amendment VC219.

More information about extractive and mining activities in Victoria can be found at GeoVic - Earth Resources.

Identifying land with a work authority

Mapping information on work authorities can be found at VicPlan. VicPlan is a maping service for property information, including whether a work authority application has been made or approved under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act.

  1. Go to VicPlan
  2. Select the ‘Map’ menu at top of screen.
  3. Select ‘Layer Catalog’
    Image of VicPlan showing Mapctab and Layer catalog icon
  4. Select from the list  ‘Extractive Industry Work Authorities’
  5. Tick ‘Extractive Industry Work Authorities – Applications’ and ‘Extractive Industry Work Authorities - Current’ and select ‘OK’.
    Image from VicPlan showing location of selections for Steps 4 and 5
  6. Enter an address in the search field.
  7. The results will show:
    • Property information under the ‘Property Information’ tab at the bottom of the page.
      Image from VicPlan showing Property information tab
    • Work authority information under the ‘Layers’ tab at the bottom of the page. Current /approved (granted) work authorities are shown in orange and work authority applications are shown in blue.
      Image from VicPlan showing location of Layers tab

Identifying accommodation within 500 m of land with a work authority

  1. Complete the steps 1 - 7 above to locate land with a work authority.
  2. Select the ‘Tools’ menu at the top of screen.
  3. Select ‘Distance’ and ‘Enable Snapping’.
    Image from VicPlan showing Distance icon and Enable snapping icon
  4. Double click the boundary of the land and the end point. The map will provide the distance between the two points.

For help using VicPlan, go to Using VicPlan.

Page last updated: 09/06/23

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