Editor's letter

Digitalisation is becoming a pillar of Australia's mining industry, with innovation supported by close partnerships between industry and academia.

“Many challenges in mining are too complex for a single company to solve alone,” University of Queensland professor Mohsen Yahyaei tells MINE Australia. “As an independent and impartial group, universities enable cross-industry knowledge sharing and collaboration.”

Similarly in the mine planning software space, collaboration and embracing digital transformation will be key to addressing future ESG priorities, uncertainty and skills needs. We speak to several vendors to find out what trends are shaping software development.

Elsewhere, we look at how Australia’s NiWest project is aiming to get over the line despite low nickel prices. Plus, GlobalData shares an outlook for cobalt and nickel. And we look at New Zealand’s critical minerals list and mining export ambitions, gauging industry reaction.

Caroline Peachey, editor