AusIMM’s Thought Leadership Series 2024 opens the door to robust discussions around sustainability and the future of mining in a digital world.
It should come as no surprise that mining companies are increasingly adopting new and innovative technology into their work. After all, technology is all around us, and the mines are no exception.
But with this uptake comes challenges, especially as the resources sector must ensure it protects its staff, profitability and productivity while exploring new ways to mine.
AusIMM’s Thought Leadership Series (TLS) 2024 aims to explore the theme ‘responsible mining in a digital era’ in this context, marrying groundbreaking technologies with more sustainable ways to mine.
Through four online panels, TLS 2024 leads conversations on safety, inclusion, productivity and decarbonisation, seeking to unlock actionable strategies for the mining industry.
Image: AusIMM
As series co-host, PwC Australia is looking forward to sharing perspectives across the four panels.
“PwC has long been a keen supporter of AusIMM and we’re looking forward to helping them support the industry into the digital age,” PwC national mining leader Marc Upcroft told Australian Mining.
“The mining industry is facing challenges and higher expectations like never before. We want to make sure the industry has the ideas and tools it needs to contend with that.”
The four TLS 2024 panels cover different topics relating to the same central theme of digitalisation: ‘Innovating for success in a digital era’; ‘Investing in a sustainable future’; ‘Achieving a nature positive advantage’; and ‘Striking a balance between safety and productivity’.
As Upcroft explained, each topic has been carefully selected to be as pertinent to the industry as possible.
“The industry is investing in low-carbon opportunities, and there’s a big push for critical and strategic minerals,” he said.
“There’s also the challenge of decarbonising existing operations. It will be important to strike a balance between investing in these changes and ensuring it all happens at the right time and speed.”
Upcroft said the idea of decarbonising the mining industry in sync with the broader global push to reach net-zero is the industry’s biggest opportunity – and it’s biggest challenge.
“The industry can be a misunderstood one, and the negative aspects can be far clearer to the community,” he said.
“That just intensifies the challenge and the need to try harder to communicate all of the positive benefits that come from mining.
“Making our operations as sustainable as possible is something the industry must pay attention to in the here and now. The good news is that there is a lot of opportunity out there for mines to curb their emissions.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic of late and will feature prominently in TLS 2024.
“We’ll be looking at how moving further down the automation and digital path can strengthen our mining activities,” Upcroft said.
Image: AusIMM
“AI can play a role in many areas of a mine, including in exploration. It can also make mines more efficient because it doesn’t make human-error mistakes.”
Along with decarbonisation and digital transformations, the importance of psychosocial safety in the industry will also be discussed.
“Safety in the mining industry isn’t limited to physical safety,” Upcroft said.
“We’ve done a good job in shining a light on broader safety issues, but we need to continue on that path to keep people in their jobs and attract new talent to the sector.”
Upcroft is encouraging people to look at each of the panels and think about how ideas shared can benefit their site.
“We get asked what the most important topic is in the mining industry a lot, but all four topics are the most important right now,” he said. “There are so many moving parts in the industry, and leaders are in the spotlight to do things differently.
“Panels like the TLS show how complex the mining industry is, but they also show how many great people we have in the sector who are ready to drive us into a more sustainable future.”
AusIMM’s Thought Leadership Series 2024 is available online: ausimm.com/tls
This feature appeared in the October 2024 issue of Australian Mining.
