The Australian mining industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years in terms of mining methods, mining equipment and human resource policies. The industry's approach to safety and health in terms of attitudes, style of legislation, and risk management techniques has also changed significantly. These changes have had and continue to have major impacts on the design of underground mine ventilation systems. In some areas, trends are clearly emerging. In other areas, mine ventilation planning remains very reactive' and is performing poorly in terms of providing a safe and healthy work environment at a reasonable cost. New concepts involving the role of ramps and shafts, the provision of refrigerated air, ventilation on demand' and newe gress and entrapment approaches are likely to be incorporated into mine planning and operating practices over the next ten years. This paper discusses these and other trends and identifies some likely future developments in the area of hardrock mine ventilation._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Brake, D J and Nixon, A, 2005. Current trends and future opportunities in underground hardrock ventilation practices, in Proceedings Ninth Underground Operators' Conference 2005, pp 403-408 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).