In 1944 some ten or so pieces of legislation impacted on the mining
industry. Today in excess of 80 in one way or another apply to the
Northern Territory miner. This paper will look at the nature of the
legislation that has been introduced and the reasons for its introduction. During the Second World War the mining of resources such as iron, tin
etc for the war effort set the platform for the subsequent expansion of the
industry in the post-war years. Thereafter, the change in attitudes over the
years that have resulted from a more conscious public and more
responsible governments and developers associated with the recognition
of the legal rights of others and the threat of litigation, will be traced. With a major review of the Northern Territory Mining Act currently in
progress, this paper will view ANZMEC's foreshadowed preference for a
National Code and the NT's intent of drawing some commonalities with
other states of Australia to achieve this aim. Finally, the questions of over-regulation and whether existing
legislation is complete will be addressed. From this it is foreshadowed
how legislation may develop during the lead into the 21st century.