Australia’s largest wire rope supplier WRI industries has been playing an ever-growing game since the 1920s, building a business from the BHP empire to become the largest supplier in the country, and thanks to a fortuitous buyout, the world.

South Australia’s last coal-fired power station closed on Monday this week, leaving the state with only gas and wind power generators, so what will be South Australia’s energy future?

Prices of most minerals have risen in the past six months (if only marginally in some cases). Opinions of bank and other analysts about the outlook for mining are divided, but some analysts are cautiously optimistic. For example, in its market outlook this month, Citibank says that “the outlook for commodities has notably improved in … Continue reading Are mining green shoots emerging? [opinion] →

A complex site constraint combined with tight project stipulations saw an innovative approach in PNG.

South Australia’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission has recommended the state investigate an international storage site for intermediate and high-level (spent fuel) nuclear waste.

Australian METS industry group Austmine sits down with Minemax to discuss mine planning, scheduling, and productivity on site.

Where does the coal we dig up go, and who actually consumes the most Australian coal?

New paperless fleet management systems are lifting productivity on a NSW coal mine.

Fundamental approaches to seeding and site restoration are needed in mine environmental management.

With the release of the latest Federal Budget there have been fewer changes than expected, with small business and middle income tax payers the big winners, but how will affect the mining sector?

The Rudd government came to power in 2007 with a mandate for industrial relations reform. There was an expectation on all sides that its Fair Work Act, introduced to replace the previous Howard government’s WorkChoices, would bring collective bargaining back to the centre of Australian employment relations. Labor and the unions hoped for it. The … Continue reading What has happened to collective bargaining since the end of WorkChoices? →

Enerpac has signed a contract with Burkhalter to extend their 2000 metric tonne jack-up system from 20m to 36m.

New transport technology is opening up the potential for more remote mines.

With nearly 200 nuclear power plants either under construction or in planning around the world, and the pending closure of the Ranger Uranium Mine, increased supply will be essential to ensuring sufficient product is available to service the low-emissions energy market.

Ever lengthening payment times for invoices are leaving suppliers with a financial hole. Sharon Masige writes.

The first years of the millennium were kind to government finances. A benign economic environment, and a once-in-a-century commodity boom fuelled by Chinese growth, helped the Federal budget to a cumulative surplus of $89.3 billion over the period 1999-2008. The IMF notes that fiscal policy can either calm or magnify the effects of volatile commodity … Continue reading Budget explainer: commodity prices and the federal budget →

After two years working on Australian Mining, I’m about to shrug off the mantle of an industry that has been a huge part of my life since 2006. From my greenest days working for Iluka Resources, logging sands around the Jacinth deposit and being hazed by drillers, right through to rigging gas pipe at the … Continue reading Moving on… [OPINION] →

  Sandfire’s DeGrussa mine has always been focused on ramping up development and taking the operation to the next level. The DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine has set a rapid pace—moving from discovery in April 2009 to the completion of project construction in 2012. But it’s not just the mine itself striding forward, with its contractors also … Continue reading Going semi-autonomous with Sandfire →

The Australian gas market is undergoing significant structural change. Remarkably, just a decade ago low levels of production and exploration saw plans advanced to import gas from Papua New Guinea. Wind the clock forward to today, and Australia is on the cusp of becoming the world’s largest LNG exporter, having seen more than $200 billion invested … Continue reading Time to Reform Australia’s Gas Market [opinion] →

The name black lung says it all. When miners inhale excessive amounts of coal dust, the fine air filtration system of the lungs sieves out the dust, which then remains permanently in the lung. These deposits can even be seen with the naked eye if the lungs are removed from the body, hence the name. … Continue reading Black lung’s back? How we became complacent with coal miners’ pneumoconiosis →