What is the contemporary lifecycle of mining? We place effort into discovering the next big resource. We take time to get the necessary investment and approvals in place. We experience the first ore being taken to market and the influx of local jobs. We reap the benefits of the community and economic value that follows. But what comes next is often the surreal silence of a mill that has run for decades and a transition journey for the community which is too commonly defined by uncertainty, a sense of loss and negative legacies.
The lifecycle of mining is complex and everchanging. The shifts that occur to regional economies, natural environments and local communities throughout mine life require a dedicated understanding.
Transforming the lifecycle of mining needs to balance the interests of multiple stakeholder groups. We can achieve this through collaboration and understanding each other’s values, integrating long term outcomes into short term decision making, facilitating asset and acceptable risk transitions, and supporting technological innovation. Enabling this approach to transformation will ensure positive post mine legacies are the status quo.
Northern Australia has a strong and vibrant mining economy. Mines of global significance are going through closure whilst a simultaneous boom in mining and renewable energy projects define the region.
This presentation will challenge us to reconsider the current lifecycle of mining as we draw on a world-renowned research program to share potential solutions and tools for transforming the lifecycle of mining for the better.

Shared value is a concept discussed often in the mining industry, but what does it look like in practice? Northern Australia plays a significant role in the global mining and minerals value chain, and shared value practice in the Northern Australian minerals industry has much to contribute as we drive towards a just energy transition.

The minerals value chain, with its roots (literally) in small communities world-wide and its branches reaching into every aspect of modern life, has a unique opportunity to achieve an extraordinary, accelerated just transition with the transformative power of dialogue.

Against a backdrop of increasing demand for minerals and increasing pressure on the environment, political tensions and the growing calls for transparent ESG action, the Development Partner Institute has pioneered a dialogue-based approach to uniting the often-disparate value chain for almost a decade, via our Development Partner Framework.

The Development Partner Framework, created through an award-winning multi-stakeholder approach and backed by titans of industry, is based on the three pillars of shared purpose, flourishing ecosystems and competitive communities, companies and countries. The thread that connects these pillars is dialogue: the foundation on which to build trust and consensus between mining and society.

From our global perspective, Australia has a key part to play in enabling three key outcomes that will keep the mining industry supplying the commodities that the world requires for growth while satisfying (or exceeding) increasingly high standards: a transparent value chain, a collaborative, development partnership-based approach to operations, and involvement of the next generation. This presentation will delve into these outcomes from the perspective of shared value, with a strong call to action.