The theme of this Annual Conference of The Australasian
Institute of Mining and Metallurgy is in the form of a question:
`Adding Value to our Resources - Our Future?' There are two ways of looking at this question. The first is to
assume that any mineral or energy resource is worthless until it is
identified, recovered and put on the market. In this sense all our
current operations, be they open cut coal mines or aluminium
smelters, are engaged in adding value. The question then
becomes: what is the future of the minerals and energy resource
industries with which we are familiar - will they grow or
contract? The second way is to emphasis the value-adding aspect. The
question is now one of whether or not our future depends on
adding further value to resources we are currently selling.