58—Power to require payment of financial assurance
(1) Subject to this
section, the Minister may, by conditions imposed on the grant of an interest
in, or right in relation to, Crown land under this Act, require the grantee to
lodge with the Minister a financial assurance in the form of a bond (supported
by security approved by the Minister), or a specified pecuniary sum, the
discharge or repayment of which is conditional on the grantee—
(a) not
committing any contravention of specified conditions of the grant during a
specified period; or
(b)
taking specified action within a specified period to achieve compliance with
conditions of the grant.
(2) The Minister may
not impose conditions requiring the lodgement of a bond or pecuniary sum
unless satisfied that imposition of the conditions is justified in view of the
degree of risk of remediation being required if conditions of the grant are
contravened or not complied with.
(3) The Minister may
not, by conditions under subsection (1), require the lodgment of a bond
or a pecuniary sum of an amount greater than the amount that, in the opinion
of the Minister, represents the total of the likely costs that might be
incurred if the Minister took action to remediate a condition on or of the
land resulting from a failure by the grantee to satisfy the conditions of
discharge or repayment of the bond or pecuniary sum.
(4) The amount of a
pecuniary sum that has not been repaid or forfeited to the Crown in accordance
with this section must, on satisfaction of the conditions of repayment, be
repaid to the grantee together with an amount representing interest calculated
in accordance with the regulations.
(5) If the grantee
fails to satisfy the conditions of discharge or repayment of a bond or
pecuniary sum lodged with the Minister, the Minister—
(a) may
determine that the whole or part of the amount of the bond or pecuniary sum is
forfeited to the Crown; and
(b) may
apply any money so forfeited in payments for or towards the costs, expenses,
loss or damage incurred or suffered by the Crown, a public authority or other
person as a result of the failure by the grantee; and
(c) may,
in the case of a pecuniary sum, when satisfied that there is no reasonable
likelihood of any or further valid claims in respect of costs, expenses, loss
or damage incurred or suffered as a result of the failure of the grantee,
repay any amount of the pecuniary sum that has not been repaid or forfeited to
the Crown.