Perth Mining Firm Cuts Tenement Due Diligence 65%
A 14-lawyer Perth mining and resources boutique uses Quillio across tenement due diligence under the Mining Act 1978 (WA), Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) future act processes, Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth) review, and JORC 2012 disclosure checks. Tenement DD time is down around 65% per transaction, and the firm now closes more mid-market resources deals without adding headcount.
What they were trying to solve
The firm runs a steady pipeline of tenement acquisitions, farm-ins, and joint ventures across the Pilbara, Goldfields, and Mid West. Each transaction means chasing DMIRS tenement history, s188 dealings, s77 expenditure compliance, native title status, heritage registers, and overlapping pastoral leases. Senior lawyers were spending two to three days per matter in DMIRS Mineral Titles Online and the NNTT register before they even reached the commercial terms. Corporate clients were asking why resources DD took twice as long as comparable commercial transactions.
Why Quillio
Quillio was configured with the WA Mining Act 1978 and Regulations, the Mining Amendment Act 2022, the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) future act regime, the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (WA) transition, the FATA 1975 and FIRB policy notes, and the JORC Code 2012. Lawyers feed tenement search bundles, native title determinations, and heritage agreements into Quillio and get a structured DD memo with flagged risks — overlapping applications, expenditure shortfalls, s18 clearances, FIRB thresholds.
Implementation
Pilot ran on three live tenement acquisitions in the Goldfields over eight weeks. Joint venture and farm-in workflows added in month three. FIRB review checklists and JORC disclosure reviews for ASX-listed clients rolled out in month four. Training included a session on how Quillio handles DMIRS Mineral Titles Online exports.
Measurable outcomes
From 22 hours to under 8 hours per mid-market acquisition across 10+ tenements
Same lawyer headcount, higher throughput on farm-ins and small-cap acquisitions
Initial FIRB memo and threshold analysis for foreign investor clients
Quillio cross-references NNTT register against tenement footprints and flags future act exposure
Junior lawyers spend less on register searches, more on commercial negotiation support
I came up running Mineral Titles Online searches at midnight before a completion. Quillio hasn't made the work less technical — it's made the grunt shorter, so I actually get to the judgment call earlier. That's the part clients are paying for.
How it works in practice
Tenement due diligence under the Mining Act 1978 (WA), native title future act analysis under the NTA 1993 (Cth), heritage clearance review under the ACHA 2021 and AHA 1972 transition, FIRB thresholds and conditions under the FATA 1975, JORC Code 2012 disclosure review for ASX-listed clients, and farm-in and JV agreement drafting.
What they avoided
Hiring two more resources associates to handle deal flow, or declining smaller farm-ins because the fixed DD cost made them uneconomic for the client.
Case study FAQs
Does Quillio understand WA mining tenements?
Yes — it is trained on the Mining Act 1978 (WA), Mining Regulations 1981, the Mining Amendment Act 2022, and the DMIRS tenement dealing framework including s188 approvals, s77 expenditure compliance, and exploration licence conditions.
Can it handle native title future act processes?
Yes — Quillio runs s29 future act notices, right to negotiate analysis, s31 agreements, and expedited procedure assessments under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), and cross-references the NNTT register against proposed tenement footprints.
What about FIRB for foreign resources investors?
Quillio reviews against the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth), FATR 2015, and FIRB guidance notes — producing a threshold memo, national security flag analysis, and draft application materials for the Treasurer.
Does it cover the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act transition?
Yes — Quillio handles both the current Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) s18 consent regime and the ACHA 2021 transition, including LACH consultation requirements where relevant.
Can it help with ASX disclosure?
It reviews JORC Code 2012 compliance for Competent Person statements and supports draft continuous disclosure announcements for tenement acquisitions and material changes, which the firm then finalises with the client.
Run the same pilot.
Mining and resources firms should trial Quillio on a live tenement acquisition — run the DD both ways and compare the time and the memo quality. Start a free trial.
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