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Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) reported strong cash generation in Q3 FY26, bolstered by a rising gold price, while maintaining full-year production guidance.The company produced 93,145oz of gold during the quarter, bringing year-to-date output to 288,500oz, with production impacted by lower head grades and reduced contribution from ore purchase agreements compared to the previous quarter.Westgold maintains its FY26 production guidance of 345,000-385,000oz, with operations expected to strengthen in the June quarter following improved mining conditions.All-in sustaining costs were $2931/oz excluding ore purchase agreements while AISC including ore purchase agreements fell to $3338/oz from $3466/oz. Full-year costs are expected to land towards the upper end of guidance, reflecting inflationary pressures and operational decisions aimed at maximising cash flow.A key highlight of the quarter was Westgold’s cash performance, with the company delivering an underlying cash build of $285m and closing the period with $856m in cash, bullion and liquid investments, up $202m quarter-on-quarter.Operationally, performance across the portfolio was mixed. Lower production reflected reduced grades from the Starlight mine, lower ore purchase volumes in the Murchison and temporary ventilation constraints at Beta Hunt which have since been addressed.Mining productivity improved across several operations, with underground equipment performance lifting and stockpiles building across the Murchison hubs, positioning the company for stronger output in the June quarter.Westgold continued to advance growth initiatives during the period, including approving a final investment decision for the Higginsville expansion, which will increase processing capacity to 2.6mtpa.The company is also progressing Bluebird-South Junction and Beta Hunt as cornerstone assets for future growth.Westgold strengthened its balance sheet, establishing a $600m unsecured credit facility, while remaining debt free and unhedged retaining full exposure to the gold price.

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) and the Clontarf Foundation have extended their long-standing partnership for a further five years, continuing a collaboration aimed at improving education, wellbeing and employment outcomes for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.  The partnership, which began in 2008, has supported Clontarf’s expansion from 17 academies and 1362 participants to a national network of 161 academies engaging more than 12,000 young men each day. Clontarf’s academy model focuses on supporting young men to remain engaged in education while building confidence, leadership and cultural identity, alongside promoting healthy lifestyles and strong community connections.  The partnership has also contributed to the development of employment pathways, including worksite visits, mentoring, work experience, cadetships and direct employment opportunities, aimed at supporting transitions from school into further study or the workplace. Rio Tinto said an independent 2025 evaluation by Social Ventures Australia reported school retention of 88% and Year 12 completion of 82% among participants, alongside gains in capability and wellbeing. Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive and Australia country head Matthew Holcz said the partnership reflects the impact of sustained support for young people across education and employment pathways. “For young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, having people walk alongside them as they build skills, confidence and resilience makes a real difference, at school, in work and in their communities” he said. The renewed agreement will continue to support Clontarf’s national network and its focus on education engagement, personal development, and employment readiness. 

The WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended against a proposal to extract sand and limestone from a quarry at Preston Beach.The proposal, from Carlo Doyle’s Haulage, would involve extraction, screening and crushing, as well as grading and maintenance of Preston Beach North Road for haul truck access.The majority of material proposed for extraction would be used for the supply of agricultural lime.WA EPA chair Darren Walsh says the proposed quarry area is bordered on three sides by the Yalgorup National Park, an internationally recognised Class A Conservation Reserve and the second largest National Park on the Swan Coastal Plain.“The natural features of the Park are of high social significance, and the area is a popular recreation and camping destination for nature-based tourism,” he said.“Monthly visitor numbers are upwards of 70,000 during peak holiday periods and a single, unsealed access road made amenity impacts a key consideration during this process.“During what has been an unusually lengthy environmental impact assessment, largely due to the proponent’s delays in providing adequate information, the EPA encouraged the company to take measures to mitigate impacts.“However, while they made an effort to address haulage impacts, adequate mitigation measures were not provided, and it was beyond the proponent’s authority to undertake the management of third party-operated haul truck activities on a public road.”Mr Walsh said such management was necessary to ensure that the public’s enjoyment of the values of the national park was protected.“So in this case the EPA believes that noise and dust from combined quarry operations and truck haulage will result in unacceptable environmental impacts,” he said.Two-way haul truck movements associated with the proposal, seasonally between December and April, were estimated at up to 44 per day for the 20-year life of the quarry, according to the WA EPA.The report is now open for a three-week public appeal period, closing May 21, 2026, with the Minister for the Environment making the final decision on the proposal.

Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) has upgraded production guidance across mining services, Onslow Iron, Wodgina and Mt Marion following a solid Q3 FY26.Onslow Iron produced 7.8mt of iron ore and shipped 7.2mt in the quarter, with shipped volumes impacted by tropical cyclones Mitchell and Narelle.Operations returned safely to nameplate capacity shortly after the cyclones, with key infrastructure sustaining no damage.Onslow Iron volume guidance has been upgraded from17.1-18.8mwmt to 17.7-19.4mwmt, with costs tracking at the lower end of guidance.Wodgina and Mt Marion produced 127kdmt of spodumene concentrate with sales of 115kdmt.The average achieved price was US$2105/dmt, representing a 92% increase on the prior quarter.FY26 volume guidance has been upgraded at Wodgina from 260-280kdmt to 270-290kdmt. Mt Marion has been upgraded from 190-210kdmt to 210-230kdmt.MinRes says it contracts diesel supply from a major Australian fuel distributor and has not experienced any interruption to fuel supplies or its operations as a result of the Middle East conflict.

Liontown (ASX: LTR) posted its strongest financial performance since production commenced, generating $33m in cash flow, backed by a rebound in prices alongside operational progress.For the first time, Kathleen Valley operated as a 100% underground mine for the entire quarter, achieving its 1.5mtpa annualised underground run-rate ahead of schedule.Lithia recoveries improved to 70% in late March as underground ore became the dominant feed.Liontown sold 83,912dmt of spodumene concentrate at an average realised price of US$1845/dmt, generating $197m in revenue.Liontown managing director and chief executive Tony Ottaviano says the company is on track to meet FY26 guidance.“The team is now building for what comes next,” he said.The company is proceeding with early works and long-lead item procurement for the planned expansion of the Kathleen Valley lithium operation ahead of a formal final investment decision expected at the end of Q1 FY27.“Our expansion study is underway with early works and long-lead procurement committed; we are finishing the financial year with genuine momentum in unlocking the full potential of Kathleen Valley,” Mr Ottaviano said.Liontown ended the quarter with $424m in cash and 26,270dmt of saleable inventory on hand.

Students at Hedland Senior High School are gaining hands-on experience in drone technology and STEM pathways through a partnership with Fortescue (ASX: FMG). The three-year agreement, announced in 2025, includes a $600,000 investment from Fortescue to support a STEM education program, upgrade the school’s Technology Hub and expand vocational and tertiary pathways for students. The partnership is aimed at strengthening industry-linked education opportunities in WA’s Pilbara region. A key focus of the program has been the transformation of the school’s technology hub into an innovation centre supporting drone technology, engineering, coding and immersive learning, with students learning to operate and program drones while developing skills in aviation safety, mapping and data collection. Fortescue approvals, communities and services director Rosli Wheelock says the initiative is designed to connect students with emerging industries in the region. “Programs like this are about making sure students in the Pilbara can see themselves in the industries shaping the future of our region” he said.  “These technologies are already used across the Pilbara in mining, logistics and environmental management.” The program has also enabled three teachers to gain qualifications to deliver training toward a remote pilot licence and Certificate III in Aviation (remote pilot), providing students with access to industry-recognised credentials while still in school.  Students are applying their skills to practical scenarios such as bushfire assessment, disaster response, medical supply delivery and environmental monitoring, aligning classroom learning with real-world applications. The program has also contributed to increased enrolments in STEM and industry-aligned subjects, including engineering pathways, with strong participation from First Nations students. Participation in trade and engineering pathways has also grown, with students progressing into school-based traineeships and pre-apprenticeships in engineering and technology. The partnership will continue to expand, with plans to integrate immersive technologies into Two-Way Science, combining local cultural knowledge with digital tools and technology.  

Electrical workers across BHP’s (ASX: BHP) Pilbara operations have voted to continue their industrial action, with bans on overtime and on-call work extended indefinitely.The action began on April 16 and marked the first strike in the Pilbara this century.Electrical Trades Union (ETU) WA secretary Adam Woodage says electrical workers want BHP to negotiate honestly and fairly to reach an agreement.“For more than a year we have been urging BHP to meaningfully negotiate with us,” Mr Woodage said.According to the ETU, WA Premier Roger Cook has made observations that negotiation is the path to a fairer, safer and more productive industry.“The message for BHP is this: It’s time to make a deal,” Mr Woodage said.A BHP spokesperson says the company does not expect any operational impacts from the industrial action. “Our focus remains on safe, reliable operations, supporting the wellbeing of our workers in the current environment and continuing constructive bargaining," they said. The Australian Mining Review has reached out to Premier Cook for comment.

Humans innately desire predictability. During times of crisis, it’s only natural to seek a sense of control in an unpredictable environment.While the concept of preparedness is part of our basic survival instincts, it took root as a broader movement during the Cold War as fears of nuclear annihilation ran rampant.During this time, the US Government encouraged citizens to build fallout shelters and schools even ran bomb drills — not that there’s much anyone can do to survive a mushroom cloud.Out of this anxiety, a survivalist movement grew.Survivalists, or doomsday preppers, are traditionally associated with extremism in the form of right-wing conservatism and radical anti-government conspiracy theories.The stereotypical survivalist is a white, backcountry, conservative male who may or may not also be bordering on deranged. However, as anxiety about the state of the world rises, the number of preppers globally are growing and as a result, the demographic is changing.During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, prepping moved from a fringe culture to a mainstream response — and one that kind of seemed reasonable.With the cost of living rising and supply chains being frequently disrupted by geopolitics and extreme weather events, this movement is growing in popularity as everyday people seek self-reliance.Though the average person is unlikely to have months’ worth of supplies stockpiled in a bunker in case of complete societal collapse, they now tend to err on the side of caution.This is evident if you grab an extra carton of eggs when the shelves look a little sparse. Or if you decide to head down to the servo and fill up after reports that fuel prices are going to jump over night.These seem like perfectly reasonable decisions. The problem is when individual rationality morphs into collective irrationality.What starts out as a handful of somewhat sensible people taking minor proactive measures can quickly escalate into many people making the same decisions simultaneously. And when that feared scarcity is unfounded rather than genuine, panic buying can create the very shortages it is intended to insulate against as collective action overwhelms fragile systems.This is the panic buying paradox. And we are seeing it in real time with fuel supplies.People are rushing to buy fuel because they think it will run out, and it’s running out because they are rushing to buy it.At an industry event this morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called panic buying “pretty bloody stupid”. Despite this sentiment, when I see others filling up portable fuel tanks at the bowser, I am overcome with a nagging sense that those people know something I don’t.Present concerns are understandable with Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz driving crude oil prices well above US$100 a barrel.The Philippines have already declared a national emergency due to severe fuel shortages. And in Australia, fuel prices have increased by about 40% since the start of the war.Most Australians don’t panic buy or hoard supplies; they buy a little extra “just in case”. Are you buying an extra packet of toilet paper when the shelves look a little low? That seems reasonable when you remember the COVID-19 toilet paper crisis of the not-so-distant past. Are you a mobile business owner that just saw media coverage suggesting fuel could be 40% more expensive tomorrow? You might want to grab your keys and fill up. On second thought, grab your jerry can too.The problem isn’t that these decisions are irrational; it’s that these “just-in-case” purchases are combining with a “just-in-time” supply chain. This means stock is on trucks, not in back rooms. This keeps costs low, but it also assumes tomorrow will look exactly like today. Even a small shift along the supply chain can look like a complete system failure.During the pandemic, we saw what happens when supply chains fail to absorb external shock. Those wounds are barely healed. As a new crisis looms, it’s understandable that people want to take matters into their own hands.A perceived lack of transparency, fairness and compassion from decision-makers during unprecedented crisis eroded Australian’s confidence in their governments ability to protect them. Many Australians now are untrusting of the government to plan for times of crisis. Fairly so. The pandemic demolished public trust.Australia sits at the end of a very long and fragile fuel supply chain. Much of what we consume passes through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran. The cascading effects of the war are now dramatically interfering with our supply chains.Rather than labelling people queuing at petrol stations as irrational, we should acknowledge that we don’t know their personal circumstances. We don’t know if their livelihood depends on their access to a vehicle. We don’t know if the fuel will be used to run essential generators. Possibly most importantly, we don’t know if they have the capacity to absorb a 40% rise in fuel prices.Even if you think doomsday preppers are batty and panic buying is “un-Australian”, the lesson isn’t that people are irrational: it’s that our supply chains are ineffective.Neither survivalism nor panic buying is inherently evil. But neither is virtuous if it comes at the expense of others. The goal shouldn’t be to outlast everyone else in a crisis — it should be to build a society where there is no need to stockpile in the first place.Although politicians are urging the public not to panic, they risk encouraging the opposite effect and further fostering fear. It seems the next plight the government faces is a crisis of trust.Off the Record is The Australian Mining Review’s weekly column. 

IGO chief financial officer Johan van Vuuren has resigned, effective immediately, after commencing in the role on April 1.Mr van Vuuren and IGO (ASX: IGO) have agreed that the position was not the right fit and he will pursue other opportunities more aligned with his career aspirations.IGO says it has commenced arrangements for interim cover and will undertake a process to identify a permanent replacement.IGO managing director and chief executive Ivan Vella said the company was focused on a smooth transition.“We wish Johan well in his next chapter,” he said.“IGO has a strong and capable finance team, and the board and I are focused on a smooth transition.”