Mining and Metals Industry

Copper production in outback Queensland is facing a ticking clock, but researchers say a new refining process developed at the University of Queensland could slash production costs.

The war in the Middle East is beginning to have a tangible impact on the lives of Western Australians. Here's how.

Perth's water provider grew frustrated with US mining giant Alcoa after facing roadblocks in accessing areas near the city's key drinking water source that it needs to keep the supply safe, internal documents reveal. 

A northern Tasmanian business group wants to secure a buyer for Australia's only manganese alloy smelter as the corporate regulator threatens its current owners with liquidation.

Locals say the "continuous rumbling" from a quarry in Tasmania's Meander Valley is a major disturbance. The company which owns it has just been given approval to increase production by 500 per cent.

As the wine industry struggles with increased challenges, some Victorian wineries are choosing to sell their land to mining companies.

A major outback mining asset near Mount Isa has been sold to a Queensland-based company for up to $100 million, potentially securing the town's copper production.

A Supreme Court judge approves a winding-up order for the embattled Tahmoor mine, owned by billionaire Sanjeev Gupta.

The corporate regulator moves to wind up the Liberty Bell Bay manganese smelter in northern Tasmania, citing the company's repeated failure to lodge financial statements.

Industry groups say Australia needs to extract 200 million tonnes of rock material every year to support new housing and infrastructure projects, but quarry proposals often face community backlash.

Mining giant Glencore will employ almost 30 international workers at Mount Isa Mines amid criticism the company is overlooking domestic workers. 

The NSW government grants a six-year extension to a controversial coal mine in the Hunter Valley.

Isaac Regional Council places a bill for "coal haulage charges" totalling more than $2 million on hold, as administrators work to meet existing obligations. 

WA is desperate to retain the GST deal it struck with Scott Morrison as the Productivity Commission looks to rein in cost blowouts, and says exempting 25 per cent of mining revenues could help.

Canberra's decision to sign a bilateral agreement with Canada to join forces on everything to do with critical minerals could prove to be a forerunner of things to come.

Global mining company MMG has long been seeking to build a third tailings storage dam at its mine on the Tasmanian west coast, in the face of strong opposition from environmentalists. It's now put forward an alternative which conservationists say they won't fight.

They are older than the dinosaurs and buried deep underground, but scientists are pinning their hopes on ancient salt caverns to solve Australia’s green energy storage problem. 

The percentage of two-year-old children above the blood lead level threshold in Port Pirie is the highest in a decade, according to the latest figures.

PLS chief executive Dale Henderson says the decision to restart the Ngungaju lithium plant in WA was influenced by its recent offtake deal with China's Canmax that included a minimum price floor of $US1,000 per tonne.

Roger Cook criticises Alcoa's environmental record for being "not at the level we expect", after the US mining giant agreed to pay $55 million for clearing a native jarrah forest in WA's south without approval.