Australia

Why your mine plan’s lying to you - and what Rondon and Assibey-Bonsu say to do about it before it costs you millions in misclassified waste and phantom tonnes

At the AusIMM 2025 Mineral Resource Estimation Conference, Dr Oscar Rondon, principal geostatistician at Datamine, tackled a question that has dogged mining professionals for decades: Is estimating recoverable resources still hopeless? The talk revisited a decades-old challenge in resource estimation, combining Rondon’s clear communication with Assibey-Bonsu’s extensive experience in the mining industry.

How erosion models are busting gullies, predicting the future and helping miners design landforms that last centuries and pass the pub test

What if you could fast-forward a century to see whether your rehabilitated mine landform holds its shape or collapses into a network of gullies? At a recent seminar hosted by the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner (OQMRC), one message rang clear: erosion and landscape evolution models are no longer just academic exercises—they’re digital crystal balls for mine closure planning.

Rainfall event triggers explosives loss, exposes critical gaps in blast design and risk protocols

A Queensland mine site has suffered a serious incident involving the loss of explosives after a significant rainfall event overwhelmed blast bench drainage systems—highlighting urgent shortcomings in drill and blast planning under extreme weather conditions.

NSW regulator warns of rising mine vehicle incidents as dozer, haul truck and drill rig collisions highlight urgent need for improved safety controls

A string of recent dangerous incidents across New South Wales mine sites has prompted the state’s Resources Regulator to renew calls for stricter controls and improved situational awareness in vehicle operations, following the release of its latest Weekly Incident Summary for the week ending 23 May 2025.

Digging deeper for common ground as WA agrees it's time to fix Native Title and cultural heritage red tape before the boom gets bogged

Today’s announcement that the Western Australian Government will partner with the National Native Title Tribunal to review the State’s Native Title and Aboriginal cultural heritage processes is a long-overdue and welcome step toward striking a more workable and respectful balance between heritage protection and economic development.