Mining

A Charles Sturt University legal academic has successfully represented First Nations people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia before a United Nations tribunal ... “The decision concerns the Wunna Nyiyaparli people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, an area rich in minerals such as iron ore, and basically concerns a miscarriage of justice in the Federal Court in determining their native title rights": Dr Scott Calnan.

The state government has committed to nominating Moonta Mines for World Heritage Listing. The Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta Mines is now one step away from tentative listing after Deputy Premier Susan Close announced the government would support the bid...

The lack of a TAFE, children with special needs, the health bureaucracy, E-tag regulations, arts, rare earth mining, radiation therapy and plastics were among 16 questions asked at last week’s Country Cabinet forum in Naracoorte. During a two-day whirlwind visit SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, his ministers and all department chiefs collectively met with hundreds of people as they travelled to various special spots within our region.

The Territory Labor government is backing mining in the Barkly Region, with another milestone reached by Avenira Limited. Avenira Limited’s Mining Management Plan (MMP) has been approved under the Mining Management Act 2001, authorising mining to commence at the company’s Wonarah Phosphate Project.

The Palaszczuk Labor Government, and in particular Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick, have in recent days been complicit with Glencore in the signing of an entirely unnecessary “death warrant” for the city of Mount Isa. On behalf of the community of Mount Isa, and the 1,200 jobs that hang in the balance, this needs to be called out.

A workplace accident at the Bootu Creek Mine in 2019 resulted in the tragic death of a 59-year-old Mine Superintendent. The mine operator, OM (Manganese) Ltd, has been convicted and fined $487,500 (after discount for an early guilty plea) by the Darwin Local Court for failing to ensure the health and safety of its workers under Section 19(1)(a) of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011.

Following the cancellation of Shenhua’s plans to mine on the Liverpool Plains, work is underway to regenerate the land for the benefit of the community and the environment ... While some land has been sold to farmers, a 6,300ha parcel of land has been kept in public hands and is being managed by Local Land Services under a biodiversity project known as The Waratah Project.

Will Hunter. It is feared a historic crane located on an allotment listed for sale as part of a Department for Infrastructure and Transport land disposal in Port Wakefield may be at risk. The allotments … were listed for sale with Ray White Yorke Peninsula after Wakefield Regional Council advised DIT it had no interest in acquiring any of the land identified for disposal.

Germany's brown coal industry in the famous Rhineland region, which inspired Sir John Monash to build the State Electricity Commission using Latrobe Valley coal, still packs some punch, despite the drive towards more renewables. And the carbon dioxide being produced by the region’s modern brown coal power stations can be redirected into a number of industrial uses.

The Western Australia-Indonesia Energy Forum held in Jakarta is a timely opportunity for both regions to collaborate and support future energy transition. The forum also offers a chance for WA energy delegates and Indonesian stakeholders to discuss each market's capabilities in new and renewable energies and critical minerals.

For more than 40 years they have run the Clarence River Wilderness Lodge where guests come to escape into the nature and unspoilt beauty of the Clarence Valley. The rocky dirt track off Paddys Flat Rd is a 20-minute steep drive to the lodge and camping grounds on the 460 hectare property.

The community-led battle to save the mining town of Glenden from impending demolition represents a “sliding door” moment for the Queensland Government, Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter said ... Glenden, a town of 670 people in central Queensland, is progressively being abandoned as its “anchor tenant” – the Swedish mining giant Glencore – wraps up...

There was tension at the Blue Hills Quarry community consultation meeting last Tuesday as workers, locals, farmers, neighbours and consulting experts thrashed out a path to progress while navigating considerable concerns. One woman introduced herself as a concerned local who lives on the Baringhup Maldon Main Rd and is worried about truck traffic.

Denmark Senior High School students have woven rugs from discarded fabrics to be stitched together in a vast dot replica painting to fill mining craters in the Goldfields. Denmark woman Vivienne Robertson created the Reclaim the Void project in collaboration with Ngalia cultural custodian Kado Muir.

The system which protects and manages Aboriginal cultural heritage in Western Australia will be modernised and improved from July 1 to prevent another incident like what occurred at Juukan Gorge. The improvements include new practical exemptions and a simpler, fairer system to manage activities that may harm Aboriginal cultural heritage across WA ... The State Government has also announced the appointment of four new members to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Council, including former Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister and respected Yamatji and Wongi Elder Ken Wyatt.

The new WA Aboriginal Cultural Heritage laws will have far reaching consequences to the farming community, many of which are only just coming to light as the WA Department of Heritage workshops the changes across the State. This is how WAFarmers responded to one of the workshops in the central Wheatbelt.        

The Queensland budget will supercharge CopperString 2032 through a $1 billion down payment from coal royalties, $594 million of which is committed to start construction over the coming financial year ... The announcement was made at the official opening of Vecco Group’s $26 million Townsville Vanadium Battery Manufacturing Facility, which received support through the Queensland Jobs Fund.

An industry-led, wide-scale search through previously mined and discarded rock and earth could help boost Australia’s global position as a clean energy powerhouse ... Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the new Atlas of Australian Mine Waste, could provide industry with additional opportunities to extract valuable resources from previously mined rock and earth.

Frank Batini. Probably the world’s largest mine, in terms of area, is Alcoa’s bauxite mine, located in the northern jarrah forest, within a biologically rich area, close to the State’s capital city (Perth) and on its domestic water supply catchments ... In 2007, Alcoa reported that the loss in water yield from five monitored catchments, where mining had occurred on part of the landscape, was 40-50 mmpa greater than in the un-mined forest. In the intervening 16 years the trees have grown and would now be using much more water.

Nyinkka Nyunyu is set for a $7 million upgrade, announced in this week’s Territory Budget ... Speaking to the Tennant & District Times, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chansey Paech said works include a new artist studio, upgraded gallery, performance and storage spaces and immersive audio visual displays and experiences that share history, stories, arts and culture.