According to a recent report by the Grattan Institute, mining and energy corporates have used paid lobbyists to access the Queensland Labor government 214 times in the past six years. We speak to the institute about the benefits of this, and ask whether the industry is, as Grattan researcher and senior associate Kate Griffiths said, “punching well above their weight”?

Also in the next issue, we speak to the University of Adelaide's new national mining research and training centre about the advanced technologies its using and how they can benefit the industry, and find out about Geosciences Australia's improved positioning technology.

We also look at how companies are making minerals transfer more environmentally friendly, examine the reasons behind gold's impressive recent performance, and explore the state of the mining industry in South Australia.

Join the conversation on Twitter: @MINE_Magazine.

Callum Tyndall, editor