Category: Regional Focus

MMG’s Dugald River zinc mine near Cloncurry, QLD. Image: MMG. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND INITIATIVES by the Queensland Government to boost exploration and support employment diversification aim to attract investment and protect employment in the region from the cyclical nature of the resources sector. However some feel that addressing high energy prices as a priority may do more to lift North West QLD’s economy. Covering 10 local government areas, the 375,000sqkm North West Minerals Province (NWMP) contains major copper, lead, zinc, silver and phosphate deposits and well defined rare earths potential. The NWMP is home to about 34,500 residents, mostly based in Mt Isa, with 60 per cent of jobs that directly or indirectly support the mining industry. The significance of the…

Southern Nights discovery. Image: Peel Mining.  BY ELIZABETH FABRI IN the outback town of Cobar rising commodity prices are restoring confidence at existing operations, as fresh exploration signals a break away from the region’s reliance on base metals towards a gold-focused future. It’s been boom-and-bust for Cobar since first copper was discovered in the region in 1869. The town has witnessed great successes (at peak sporting a population of 10,000) followed by incredible lows when commodity cycles took a dive. Just two years ago this was the case when one of the town’s major employers, CBH Resources’ Endeavor mine, made almost half of its workforce (116 people) redundant as a result of the declining zinc and lead prices. It was…

All images: New Hope Group. BY REUBEN ADAMS THE QLD coal sector is enjoying strong revenues, employment growth, and new investment. Now – as QLD Labor secures another term in office – it’s time to examine how red tape, drawn out development approvals, and political risk are having a real and tangible impact on greenfields and brownfields mine development. Coal has officially re-emerged from some of the most difficult industry conditions in years. Even taking into account the substantial impacts of Cyclone Debbie in April, strong prices have put a spring into the step of the QLD’s major producers. In FY17, New Hope Group’s revenue from its QLD and NSW operations jumped 59 per cent to $844.1 million. Whitehaven Coal…

Image: Tianqi Lithium Australia. BY ELIZABETH FABRI WA spodumene producers are moving downstream to cash-in on sky-high lithium hydroxide prices. But is the capital spend on processing infrastructure worth the risk? 2017 was a game-changer for the WA lithium industry. In 2016 there was just a few producing mines in the State; in 2018 this number looks set to explode as investors pour capital into the swarm of lithium mines now at various stages of development. The Neometals and Mineral Resources Mt Marion JV entered production in late 2016, followed shortly by Galaxy Resources’ Mt Cattlin project which exported its first shipment of lithium concentrate in January 2017. Next cabs off the rank are Pilbara Minerals’ and Altura Mining’s identically…

Image: NT Department of Industry and Resources. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND SPURRED on by rising commodity prices and booming battery-affiliated raw material markets, the Northern Territory is seeing a marked rise in exploration and the number of projects moving towards development. ON the back of a global increase in demand for raw materials the NT Government is wasting no time reforming its mining industry processes to make the region more attractive for investment. Behind construction, the resources sector is the top end’s second biggest industry, accounting for about 13 per cent of gross state product (GSP). NT Resources minister Ken Vowles said mining and exploration remained a “key element” of economic development and employment in remote and regional areas, as the…

Yancoal’s recently acquired Hunter Valley Operations project.  Image: Yancoal. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND MANY Hunter Valley communities are intrinsically linked – historically and economically – to a mining industry which currently injects about $6bn in wages and payments to local businesses each year. Now, as coal prices receiver and stabilise, the Hunter’s economy is set for a welcome boost. With a 2016 population of 732,000, the Hunter Valley accounts for 28 per cent of NSW’s inhabitants outside Sydney. Since the early 1800s, the Hunter’s mining operations have been a stalwart of economic activity in the region. The Hunter is no stranger to coal price cycles. Having just navigated the post-global financial crisis depression, it is looking toward a brighter future as…

Image: GFG Alliance. Photography: Sean Kelly. BY ELIZABETH FABRI THE bad run has ended for the cities of the Upper Spencer Gulf, who can finally catch their collective breath as new regional investments signal hope. Twelve months ago the Upper Spencer Gulf cities of Whyalla, Port Augusta, and Port Pirie in South Australia were existing in a state of uncertainty. In Whyalla, the sale of Arrium’s assets remained up in the air; dire times for a community which had been impacted by almost 1000 job losses leading up to Arrium entering administration. If Arrium failed to secure a new buyer, many believed Whyalla and – to a lesser extent – the State of South Australia would fall into economic and…