Tag Archives: MCA

MCA spells out Australia mineral industry’s decarbonisation plan

Environmental, Mining policy, Sustainable mining, Water management, , ,

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has released a Climate Action Plan that, it says, demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the Australia minerals industry to decarbonise the economy and address climate change.

The plan outlines how the MCA and its members are taking action on climate change as part of the minerals sector’s collective commitment to the Paris Agreement and its goal of net zero emissions globally and in Australia, the MCA said.

It outlines a series of actions focused on three key themes:

  • Support developing technology pathways to achieve significant reductions in Australia’s greenhouse emissions;
  • Increased transparency on climate change related reporting and informed advocacy; and
  • Knowledge sharing of the sector’s responses to addressing climate change.

The MCA said: “Sustained climate action across all nations is required to reduce the risks of human-induced climate change and to support worldwide decarbonisation as we transform to a lower emissions future.”

Among a number of technologies being supported in the plan are low carbon opportunities such as renewable energy and the use of electric vehicles at mine sites.

“With this plan, the sector acknowledges the critical importance of technology in reducing emissions,” the MCA said. “The minerals industry works with manufacturing and innovation partners to invent, develop and deploy new techniques and technologies.”

It added: “It is clear that the scale of the technology-led transformation required will not occur without the minerals and raw materials provided by the Australian mining sector. The industry sees great opportunities for minerals such as lithium, cobalt and copper in all forms of transport infrastructure, communications and energy systems.”

The MCA’s Climate Action Plan is made up of two components: an enduring 10-point framework to support three core objectives and a comprehensive three-year rolling work plan with 30 activities.

The Climate Action Plan will be reviewed annually and publicly reported on to ensure it remains consistent with Australia’s climate policy ambitions in support of the Paris Agreement.

The MCA concluded: “The plan demonstrates that the minerals sector not only has the ambition to decarbonise the sector – it also has an action plan to get there.”

To read more about the plan, click here.

Australia miners pool expertise to improve tailings management

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , ,

Australia’s minerals industry is looking to confront the tailings management issues that have plagued the global industry in recent years with the release of the Australian Mining Tailings Communique.

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) will support the communique, developed by MCA member companies after a workshop earlier this year, with a program of training, research and governance actions currently in development, it said.

Opportunities will be identified to build industry expertise and enhance technical capacity on tailings management for the minerals workforce, the MCA added.

“Tragic incidents around the world over the past decade reinforce the need for ongoing vigilance, review and change and raise legitimate questions about tailings management practices from governments, investors and the community,” the council said.

Australia’s minerals industry met earlier this year to review governance, culture and risk management for tailings storage facility management.

While the MCA said current tailings management practices in Australia are “highly regulated and at the forefront of global best practice”, it said the industry is committed to continual improvement as part of its culture of safe and responsible resource development.

This saw the companies, develop a list of actions to take on. This included:

  • Communicate and engage – communicate and engage with the community including government and other key stakeholders on our approach to tailings management in a transparent manner to build community confidence;
  • Leadership, governance and systems – assess and identify key elements of corporate leadership, culture, systems and governance to proactively manage tailings risks and share information;
  • Share leading practice – continue to actively share and promote industry leading practice and lessons learned in Australia and overseas from all industries;
  • Build industry expertise – identify opportunities to enhance industry capacity in key technical aspects of tailings management; and
  • Engage internationally – offer Australian expertise to help build global initiatives on tailings management including the development of, and alignment to, standards and guidelines.

The MCA says it will develop a program of work to reflect the above actions by the end of 2019.

“There is no room for complacency and honest and transparent communication and engagement with the workforce, host communities, governments, investors and other stakeholders is central to the industry’s approach,” it said.

Technology revolution set to transform mining jobs in Australia: EY report

Automation, Careers in mining, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining policy, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

Innovation, people and skills combined with technological advances will deliver a more globally competitive minerals sector that delivers fulfilling careers in highly paid, high-skilled jobs, according to a report released by accountancy firm EY.

The release of EY’s Skills Map for the Future of Work – commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) – provides a comprehensive examination of future skills and training and technology trends in the Australian minerals industry, according to the MCA.

The key findings by EY, according to MCA, include:

  • Seventy-seven per cent of jobs in Australia mining will be enhanced or redesigned due to technology within the next five years;
  • Productivity increases up to 23% can be achieved with the rollout of new technologies, costing more than A$35 billion ($25 billion);
  • An injection of A$5 billion to A$13 billion in workforce capability will be needed over the next decade to unlock future productivity gains, and;
  • Australia education and training systems need to be modernised to deliver higher certification and fit-for-purpose degrees.

“New technology and innovative practices will enhance the performance and productivity of 42% of Australian mining jobs, with a further 35% of occupations being redesigned and up-skilled leading to more valuable employment opportunities,” MCA said. “Automation will give the opportunity for reskilling into other areas.”

EY’s study also identified Australia’s education and training system needs to be modernised by offering improved course structures and enhanced movement between universities and the vocational education sectors, according to the MCA.

“Future university degrees will need to have a mix of the latest scientific, technical and trade skills along with soft skills including collaboration, team building, communication and creativity,” the council said.

“A decade-long investment by industry and government in general skills incorporating mathematics, data analytics, computing and change management will boost productivity in the minerals sector.”

Jobs that will be made future-ready through large investments will include metal fitters, machinists, building and engineering technical and experts in electronics and mechatronics, the MCA added. “For example, a shot-firer working on a drilling team will have the opportunity in Australia’s future minerals workforce to use drone technology to monitor automated rigs.”

The MCA said: “Australian mining will continue to take advantage of innovation, technology and new ways of working to create high-paying, high skilled jobs.”

The Skills Map includes two major reports: The Future of Work: the Changing Skills Landscape for Miners and The Future of Work: The economic implications of technology and digital mining.