The Australian Mining Review December 2025 Edition

BRIDGING the gap between university graduates and careers in the mining industry was high on the agenda at the recent Association of Mining Companies (AMEC) conference in Perth. Student Edge head of research Cristiano Lima detailed the finding of two surveys of around 3000 young people (1000 between 15-29 years old and 2000 between 12-24 years old), in which questions were asked about their perceptions of mining as a career pathway. Around 60pc of students said they knew nothing about mining, and Mr Lima said the surveys showed the main reason for the decline in graduates pursuing careers in mining could be due to misconceptions around what jobs were available and concerns around automation and the boom-bust cycle. “Students said…

Atlas Iron’s future is looking brighter, having accelerated its debt repayments and exploration programs. Image: Atlas Iron. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND ONCE-BELEAGURED iron ore junior Atlas Iron will pay back a further $20 million of debt on the back of surging iron ore prices. Atlas’ lenders have also agreed to ease loan covenants, including reducing the minimum cash balance requirement at the end of each month from $35m to $15m. Atlas managing director Cliff Lawrenson said the decision to reduce debt was in line with the company’s strategy to re-position the business, and the strong Australian dollar made the timing opportune. “Following this $20m, we will have reduced our debt from more than $180m in June 2016 to less than $85…

ESTABLISHED in 1991, Ultracut Tools is one of Australia’s leading designers and manufacturers of specialised cutting tools and tooling equipment, supplying quality products to Australian and international markets, including the aerospace and automotive industries, government agencies and industrial merchants. Manufactured at its state-of-the-art facilities in Victoria, products are designed to client specifications using premium quality high speed steel and the finest micro-grade carbide. All cutting tools are designed using the world’s best practice methodologies and once a satisfactory tool design is achieved it is further developed and enhanced using highly advanced 3D Cimulator technology which ensures precise tooling geometries.From the design to the finished product, Ultracut has the experience and reputation for providing the best quality cutting tools in the…

RESEARCHERS have developed new methods for recognising potential mineralisation hidden beneath barren cover rocks in under-explored areas of WA. A major collaboration between the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), the Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) and sponsor Gold Road Resources, the project seeks to apply new computational technology to solving the challenges of mineral exploration below barren cover rocks. The work targeted WA’s Eastern Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen, where highly-endowed regional geology known to host world-class mineral deposits is buried and hidden from view by later sediments. Led by geophysicist Mark Lindsay at the University of WA, the CET research team developed innovative processing techniques to improve the quality of conventional geophysical constraint, and applied cutting-edge machine…