Financial Planning

The contractor recovery has a forward visibility problem, and the JV model is quietly rewriting how junior projects get built

There are two stories inside Grant Thornton's latest mining contractors report, and the one getting most of the attention is the wrong one.

By Jamie Wade on April 28, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Long-term Planning, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Lithium, Gold, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

Exploration still works, but getting to the first drill hole now takes longer, costs more, and tests patience before the rocks ever do

The mining industry is not running out of deposits.

By Jamie Wade on March 30, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Stakeholder Communication, Workforce, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, North America, United States, Nevada, Canada, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Africa, Botswana
Precious Metals, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Strategic Minerals, Lithium

Why stable jurisdictions, faster permits and clear rules are winning the global mining investment race

The annual temperature check from the Fraser Institute has landed — and while the rocks haven’t moved, capital certainly has.

By Jamie Wade on February 28, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Stakeholder Communication, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Exploration
Australia, North America, United States, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Canada, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Africa, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Mali, Europe, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Oceania, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Asia, China
Precious Metals, Base Metals, Rare Earth Elements, Strategic Minerals

Gold fever, tin whispers and rare earth reality checks

If you wanted a temperature check on Western Australia’s exploration sector last week, you didn’t need a feasibility study.

By Jamie Wade on February 25, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Stakeholder Communication, Community Development Projects, Local Employment Opportunities, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Workforce, Recruitment, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West, New South Wales, Central West Region
Dysprosium, Precious Metals, Strategic Minerals, Gold, Niobium, Base Metals, Tin, Rare Earth Elements, Praseodymium, Neodymium

Mining’s next bottleneck isn’t in the ground – it’s in the policy inbox

At first glance, the WA Mining Club’s Market Outlook Luncheon at Optus Stadium looked like it would follow a familiar script.

By Jamie Wade on February 6, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Long-term Planning, Economic Balance, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation
Australia, Western Australia, North America, United States, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, France, Asia, China
Uranium, Precious Metals, Strategic Minerals, Gold, Silver, Base Metals, Copper, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

Why the same gold deposit can sparkle in Australia but merely shimmer in China as study reveals how valuation rules reshape what a mine is truly worth

If gold is the world’s most universal currency, it’s also one of its most misunderstood.

By Jamie Wade on November 25, 2025
Costs, Budgeting, Financial Planning, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Reporting Requirements, Stakeholder Communication, Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Collaboration with Research Institutions, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Case Studies, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Asia, China
Precious Metals, Gold

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, Precious Metals, Gold, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

Mining in the age of mayhem as global shifts, power plays and policy whiplash redraw the map for critical minerals and Australia’s next move

When global power plays, policy whiplash and economic shocks collide, opportunity hides in the chaos — and for Australia’s critical minerals sector, survival now depends on strategy as much as supply.

By Jamie Wade on October 14, 2025
Costs, Financial Planning, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Economic Balance, Innovation, Research and Development, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation
Australia, North America, United States, Asia, China
Lithium, Base Metals, Tantalum, Copper, Niobium, Gallium, Cobalt, Tungsten, Rare Earth Elements, Neodymium, Strategic Minerals

Gold is glowing and critical minerals are warming up as cash returns to the ground in a cautious comeback for Aussie exploration companies

After a shaky start to 2025, the Australian exploration sector appears to be tentatively turning a corner.

By Jamie Wade on September 12, 2025
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Risk, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, North America, United States, Canada, South America, Africa, Europe
Strategic Minerals, Industrial Minerals, Lithium, Precious Metals, Graphite, Gold, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Silver, Uranium, Base Metals, Natural Gas, Copper, Petroleum (Crude Oil), Aluminium/Bauxite, Rare Earth Elements, Tungsten

China mined the advantage while the world slept now Australia must wake up, sharpen its edge and lead the charge in critical minerals supply chains

China quietly built the world’s most powerful critical minerals supply chains while other nations - including Australia - dozed through a geopolitical shift that now threatens economic security, trade independence, and defence readiness.

By Jamie Wade on September 5, 2025
Costs, Financial Planning, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Education and Training Initiatives, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Workforce, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Crisis Management, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages, Key Contacts, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Geoscience data visualisation and analytics
Australia, North America, United States, Canada, Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Europe, Germany, Asia, China, Japan, South Korea
Neodymium, Base Metals, Dysprosium, Copper, Strategic Minerals, Lithium, Nickel, Tantalum, Cobalt, Niobium, Energy Minerals, Uranium, Rare Earth Elements