The Rock Wrangler - The Rock Wrangler

Contractors strike gold as profit sharing reshapes the rules of mining and turns service providers into project partners

Australia’s contract mining sector is undergoing a quiet revolution—one that could fundamentally reshape the relationship between contractors and mine owners.

By Jamie Wade on November 11, 2025
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, Contract Management, ESG, Sustainable Practices, Economic Balance, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, Queensland, Bowen Basin, South Australia, Gawler Craton
Iron ore, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Precious Metals, Gold, Base Metals, Copper

Brazil beats WA as PLS boss warns mining crowd Australia risks losing its lithium edge despite record output and global expansion

When PLS chief executive Dale Henderson told the WA Mining Club’s November luncheon that it’s “easier to get things done in Brazil than in Western Australia,” the room went quiet for a moment.

Smart rocks and sharper minds how Australia’s data-driven explorers are redefining rare earth and vanadium discovery for the clean energy future

If you thought mining was all about brute force and big rigs, think again.

From data to drill rigs: how Jupiter became Australia’s biggest clay rare earth discovery and a model for finding the next generation of critical minerals

When a geologist looks at a gravity anomaly and sees the future of Australia’s critical minerals, it’s worth paying attention.

When dirt looks the same data decides how geochemistry and machine learning are revealing hidden rare earth riches beneath Western Australia’s surface

If you think spotting a rare earth deposit is tough, try identifying one when it looks exactly like barren dirt.

Cracking the clay code as CSIRO’s multiscale mineralogy reveals how rare earths hide in WA sands and why smart mineralogy is the new exploration edge

When it comes to rare earths, the real magic isn’t in the elements, it’s in the minerals that host them.

How rare earths are quietly pulling the mining world into a new age of magnetism and redefining the balance of power beneath the surface

In mining, every generation gets its own frontier.

Cyclone sand dams could be Australia’s untapped edge in tailings management turning old technology into a smarter safer future for mine sites

Australia’s mining sector could be overlooking a low-risk, high-reward tailings management method that’s been delivering stability and efficiency in other parts of the world for decades.

Safety is not a line on a graph: mining must design it in from the start or risk repeating old mistakes in the critical minerals rush

Mining loves a neat correlation – tonnes per shift, dollars per ounce, emissions per unit, but as Peter Burton pointed out at AusIMM’s Critical Minerals 2025 in Perth, one thing that refuses to fit a tidy graph is safety performance.

Cut mine planning time by 70 per cent and boost value with integrated data virtual twins and smart algorithms transforming mining decisions

Unlocking up to 70 per cent faster mine planning cycles and millions in additional project value is now within reach for operations that combine centralised data systems, virtual twins and advanced optimisation engines.