The 2022 Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) Mineral Week Conference featured keynote addresses from international diplomats and industry leaders, including Secretary-General of the OECD Mathias Cormann, Ambassador of Japan to Australia Shingo Yamagami and High Commissioner of India to Australia Manpreet Vohra.
The doors closed on a lively conference yesterday, which included input from indigenous stakeholders, international and Australian diplomats and key industry forerunners.
“This minerals week, we are to reflect on the Australian mining industry, our achievements, our challenges, and our future,” MCA CEO Tania Constable said in the opening address.
“Nation builders, global leaders. This is our theme for minerals week.”
Issues of supply chain security, decarbonisation and reconciliation took centre stage during the conference, with discussions around discrimination, sustainability and collaboration dominating the proceedings.
The first day began with a pre-recorded address from OECD secretary-general Mathias Cormann who stressed that despite faster-than-expected economic recovery post-COVID-19, international challenges involving climate change, supply disruptions, labour shortages and the war in Ukraine would have an ongoing and long-lasting effect.
“In our data, it is clear that Australia is currently experiencing one of the most pronounced labour shortages across OECD member countries,” Cormann said.
“Volatile commodity markets are likely to be a feature of the global economy for the foreseeable future, and Australian businesses will need to prepare accordingly.
“In the short term, Australia's minerals sector will play an important role in addressing critical energy needs. In the longer term, the sector will be central to supporting a global transition to net zero carbon emissions.”
Deepening trade ties in South Pacific a key focus
Secretary-general Cormann’s address was followed by the Ambassador of Japan to Australia, his excellency Shingo Yamagami, and High Commissioner of India to Australia, his excellency Manpreet Vohra.
Both stressed the importance of their country’s trade relationship with Australia, urging greater collaboration and consultation on economic issues such as mining royalties and superannuation investments.
The Ambassador to Japan also emphasised the need for greater security cooperation in our geopolitical region, stating, “Throughout these 40 years, the security situation especially in Northeast Asia has been to, be very frank with you, deteriorating.
“The situation is very concerning. [Japanese] Prime Minister Kishida has repeatedly said, ‘Today's Ukraine should never become tomorrow's east Asia.’”
High Commissioner Vohra emphasised the changing face of the Indian economy, stating, “Misperceptions have led to a fairly lengthy lack of interest and inertia towards India.
“But the new India, ladies and gentlemen, is quite different from that of yore,” High Commissioner Vohra continued, “It is today, a liberalised and globalised country that has unleashed the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
“We are now the fifth largest economy in the world. According to the World Bank and the IMF, we will remain the fastest growing large economy for some time to come.
“It is important that we all act to ensure our future growth, prosperity, and security. I believe India and Australia can and must do this together.”
Mining as a vital path to sustainability
The second day saw panel discussions around decarbonisation, sustainability, elimination of discrimination and harassment, and challenges and opportunities for the mining industry regarding Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
A panel on using technology and innovation as an accelerator of decarbonisation drew speakers from Komatsu, BHP (ASX:BHP), Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), and METS Ignited and focused partially on the electrification and automation of mining activities as a key piece of the net-zero puzzle.
“Mining companies are seeking new ways to reduce the impact that they have on the environment and looking for ways to produce more so that they can meet a continually growing demand for mining materials,” Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Group president Resource Industries Denise C Johnson said in a pre-recorded address before the panel.
“They want to operate more consistently and efficiently. Automation is the biggest thing that we can help contribute to help them accomplish all of these goals.
“Autonomy alone can help reduce the environmental impact by as much as 10% and the efficiency and consistency benefits continue to grow.”
The panel also emphasised the need for a robust and skilled workforce.
“Technology on its own will not solve the problems [of the industry],” panel chair and Lynas Rare Earths managing director Amanda Lacaze said.
“We need to have a reliable stream, an entire pipeline of technical professionals coming through again.
“We've heard quite a lot that we are in a crisis point in the industry with some specific disciplines like mining engineers and geotechnics.”
Ending discrimination and harassment in mining an internal priority
A double panel on the elimination of discrimination and harassment underscored the mining industries’ focus on becoming an industry of choice for indigenous and female workers.
The first panel featured Race Discrimination Commissioner for the Australian Human Rights Commission, Chin Tan, CEO and founder of Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia, Florence Drummond, and head of inclusion and diversity and workforce transition for BHP Fiona Vines.
The conversation centred around the stark reality of workplace discrimination and the difficulties in implementing practical, workable grievance policies and frameworks.
“One of the things that I've learned looking at some of our policies and practices at BHP and other companies I've worked for in Australia, they're built for white people,” BHP head of inclusion and diversity and workforce transition Vines said.
“So, they're not inherently designed to be racist, but by application they are.
“It's important to take active steps to include people. Whether it's your onboarding, your recruitments, the way you do performance reviews, development, planning, succession planning, responding to employees when they have an incident that occurs.”
The second panel included Thiess executive chair and CEO Michael Wright, Newmont senior vice president of Workplace Responsibility Alex Bates and Rio Tinto Australia chief executive Kellie Parker.
Australia’s 2030 emissions reductions target: an obstacle and a boon for mining
The second and final day finished with a panel on the challenges and opportunities presented by Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
The panel included input from PwC national mining leader Debbie Smith, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water deputy secretary Jo Evans, Clean Energy Regulator chair David Parker AM, and Anglo American (LON:AAL) head of Corporate Relations Victoria Somlyay.
The tone of discussion was overall optimistic, with an emphasis on the opportunities decarbonisation brings rather than the inherent obstacles still to be solved.
“We have great ESG credentials in this country, and we've got momentum to actually build on that,” Smith said.
“We've got great talent. We've got a really robust regulatory regime. We've got good access to capital. You know, we've got a very strong human rights record, record of the environment, etc.
“So, I think the opportunity that exists for Australia is immense. It's there for us, for the taking.”