Mining

Reclaim the Void: weaving country whole is a collaboration between Vivienne Robertson and the Leonora-based Ngalia Heritage Research Council (Aboriginal Corporation) ... Vivienne ... asked: "What is your deepest pain?" One of the Aunties replied: ”Those gaping mining holes left all over our country”.

This timber reserve is located just west of the Boddington townsite , on the eastern fringe of the jarrah forest in Western Australia ... The infertile, lateritic soils that initially spared the MTR from clearing by farmers were its ultimate downfall ... An important question to ask is “How much bauxite mining is enough?”

A new series of NSW Government funded geophysical surveys will take place in the state’s Central West, New England and Far West to gather detailed information that will help to uncover valuable critical minerals buried deep underground ... “Exploration programs today may lead to a critical minerals project in five to ten years that employs locals and plays a vital role in the manufacturing supply chain for products such as batteries, electric vehicles, and renewables" : Paul Toole.

Robert Onfray gives an in depth examination of bauxite mining in Western Australia, its impacts on the jarrah forests, ineffective anti- mining protests and questions the McGowan government's decision to end native forest logging but support bauxite mining.

The final drilling results from the first exploration campaign of diamond drilling at Maldon returned a high-grade interval of 0.6m @ 52.8 g/t gold. Overall, the results were encouraging and very useful in defining the mineralised trends within Maldon ... Kaiser Reef Limited (ASX: KAU) considers Maldon to be an under-explored and prospective prolific high-grade historic goldfield.

Friends of Maldon Historic Reserve (in conjunction with Parks Victoria and Maldon Neighbourhood Centre) is excited to introduce a series of three walks to encourage people to explore Maldon’s Gold Mining History and begin to discover the unique Maldon Historic Reserve.

Kaiser Reef Limited (ASX: KAU) saw a further increase in gold production of 45% over the previous quarter that delivered a positive cash flow of $1.8M. This major turning point in Kaiser’s A1 mine (located 300km east of Maldon) has ratified the significant effort made by the team to unlock the potential in this high-grade gold mine.

Two public meetings will be held on April 12 and April 19 to discuss the implications of a mining exploration licence application ... Bart Lebbing said the Denmark shire relied on primary production, nature-based tourism, education, art and craft enterprises, viticulture and the service industry. “Mineral exploration and mining do not value-add to these sectors, but compromise their viability,” he said.

A consortium, led by the Global Maritime Forum and consisting of BHP, Rio Tinto, Oldendorff Carriers and Star Bulk Carriers Corp., have today signed a letter of intent (LOI) to assess the development of an iron ore Green Corridor between Australia and East Asia.

Rio Tinto’s Indigenous Employment and Development team are gearing up for another jam-packed year of programs, activities and events across Cape York ... Weipa operations general manager Shona Markham said she was impressed by what the team offered.

A number of local residents have expressed their concern regarding an application for a new mining exploration licence. One resident told the Times, “I am concerned about the size of the exploration licence that has been applied for, especially in relation to the historic and scientific significant mining landscape that may be damaged.

Mark Knowles. Emerging silica sands explorer Diatreme Resources believes it has struck gold near Cooktown after announcing significant growth to its project’s resources. Last week, the ASX-listed company said its Si2 North Project resource had recorded a significant increase of around 134 per cent to 124 million tonnes (Mt).

Shona Markham already had a busy life in northern Tasmania, but the pace is likely to quicken in 2022 as she takes the reins of Rio Tinto’s Weipa operations ... Despite her experience with Rio Tinto and previous leadership roles, the Weipa general manager position is a job like no other on the company’s books.

The Morrison Government has granted Major Project Status to a $560 million cobalt project near Broken Hill. Cobalt Blue Holdings’ Broken Hill Cobalt Project will produce 16,700 tonnes of high purity cobalt sulphate per year – a highly sought after form of this critical mineral, used in the manufacture of lithium ion batteries.

History was made last week when Brad Welsh was named as the first Indigenous Australian to lead an ASX-listed minerals company. Welsh was named as the CEO and managing director of Energy Resources Australia in the Northern Territory.

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Resources Paul Toole has announced the NSW Government will not support commercial applications for offshore mineral, coal or petroleum exploration or mining, in or adjacent to, NSW coastal waters.

Metallica Minerals has raised more than $3 million to continue funding its silica sand project at Cape Flattery. The placement was completed with support from new institutional investor Deutsche Balaton Group – which purchased shares to the value of $2 million – as well as Metallica’s largest pre-placement shareholders Ilwella and Dostal Group.

Weipa will get its own general manager again after the sudden resignation of Michelle Elvy paved the way for Rio Tinto to shuffle the deckchairs on its bauxite business ... Shona Markham will take the reins at Weipa, moving from Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay Aluminium operations in Tasmania.