Conference program
Conference program
Reflections on mine rehabilitation in Queensland
Keynote Presentation by James Purtill, Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner
Session 5, Thursday 3 August 2023
During the first two years of its existence, the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner has visited over 80 mines, held hundreds of stakeholder consultation meetings, and commissioned a range of technical papers on aspects of progressive mine rehabilitation and closure.
This keynote presentation will reflect on the work of the QMRC in its formative years – what we have learned, what we are seeing and what might contribute towards a more enduring model of stewardship of our precious mineral resources.
Many aspects of the mine rehabilitation and closure task have vexed researchers and practitioners alike for decades. Decisions that may have implications for many years into the future must be made in an external environment that is constantly evolving, as a diverse range of stakeholders bring their aspirations to bear on the industry. Deciding what rehabilitation occurs and when, how we avoid sterilising future resources while ensuring we protect environmental values now, suggest the mine rehabilitation and closure task is a “wicked problem”. As such, there’s no right or wrong, “solutions” are highly contestable, and a path forward must involve all parties which benefit from or are affected by, the resources industry.
The presentation will look at the early works commissioned by the QMRC, in ecosystem rehabilitation, regional biodiversity corridor modelling, mine void modelling, options for post-mining land uses of voids, cover systems design and grazing as a post-mining land use.
Some of the trends and performance of the industry in progressive rehabilitation will be presented, focusing on strip mining operations and the challenges emerging from historical practices in metalliferous mining. The growth in rehabilitation ‘backlog’ and the pathways to successful mine ‘closure’ under contemporary environmental regulation will be discussed, and overall trends emerging from ESG-related pressures and the “two speed” industry emerging as some sectors see capital and sentiment exiting, while others see exponential demand growth. These reflections also signal huge opportunity for the industry to continue to be pivotal to regional and national economies despite inevitable transitions in the coming decades.
Hear James's highly anticipated keynote address "Reflections on mine rehabilitation in Queensland" by registering for AusIMM's Life of Mine Conference 2 - 4 August 2023.
Bundle your conference registration package with an AusIMM membership bundle and save $215, plus access year round member rates and many other benefits.