March 20, 2026
NSW’s coal future to 2050: certainty, continued demand and the opportunity in mine land reuse
The NSW Government’s newly released direction for coal mining to 2050 provides one of the clearest signals yet about how the sector is expected to evolve over coming decades. At a high level, the message is balanced but firm. Coal will continue to play an important role in supporting the state economy, regional jobs and […]
February 17, 2026
Mine Closure, Unfiltered: What Works, What Breaks, and the “Gotchas” That Keep Costing Years
Mine closure is often described as the final chapter of a project. In practice, it’s closer to a long-form investigation, part engineering, part governance, part community expectation, part evidence trail. And like any investigation, the outcome is usually decided long before the headline is written. Across multiple closure projects and practitioner discussions, the same themes […]
January 19, 2026
Mine closure is a $100+ million project. So why isn’t it managed like one?
This week I had a meeting with a client who gets it. They understand that closure is a major project, they’re supportive of lifting maturity, and they’re pushing for stronger governance and delivery discipline. The challenge they’re wrestling with is a familiar one: how to communicate this reality through a corporate executive team where closure […]
November 22, 2025
JORC is no longer only just about tonnes and grade.
By: Andrew Hutton, Managing Director, IEMA For Australian mining companies, Competent Persons (CPs) are now operating at the junction of JORC, ESG, approvals, climate risk and mandatory reporting under the Corporations Act. That’s exactly where environmental and sustainability specialists – working in an aligned way with a deep understanding of the mining and resources sector […]
October 29, 2025
Fit-for-Purpose Corporate Mine Closure Standards: Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All in Modern Mining
By Andrew Hutton In today’s mining landscape, closure planning isn’t a box-ticking exercise. It’s a strategic, regulated, stakeholder-driven process that spans the full life of a mine. While many organisations rely on site-specific closure plans, there’s a foundational layer that often goes missing: a corporate-level Mine Closure Standard that is fit for purpose. Not generic. […]
September 19, 2025
Case Study | How IEMA Turned Climate Risk into a Faster Path to Relinquishment
By the IEMA – Integrating Sustainability, Business & Community A complex industrial closure was approaching the hard part, proving it would remain safe, stable, and compliant in an environment where climate change may move the goal posts in the long term future. IEMA – Integrating Sustainability, Business & Community was brought in to answer the […]