The undeniable fact of life in the next 25 years will be the increasing difficulty of the
physical conditions of Australian orebodies facing future miners. We are all familiar with
names such as the 3000 orebody at Mt Isa, Hilton, Century, Macarthur River,
Cannington, and Ernest Henry. These projects represent a significant. proportion of the
planned underground mine development in Australia. Moreover, many of these new
orebodies are an order of magnitude more difficult to mine and process than their
predecessors. Extraction will be from deeper and potentially more hazardous working
environments. Occupational health and safety considerations will place unprecedented
demands upon mine operators and technology providers of the future.