START WITH THE END IN MIND

IN A WORLD-FIRST, A NEW COURSE ON MINE CLOSURE AIMS TO MEET THE INDUSTRY'S NEEDS FOR TRAINING AND UPSKILLING, ENHANCING THE WAY THE RESOURCES INDUSTRY REHABILITATES ITS MINES.

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Mine closure and rehabilitation has come a long way from the days of old.

After the mining boom of the mid-1800s, many disused sites were left just as they were during operation, with large pits in the ground and machinery left to rust.

Today, that couldn't be further from the case. Modern companies must adhere to stringent legislative requirements when closing up shop, ensuring the land is rehabilitated for future use.

But opportunities remain to further upskill the industry in mine closure, and a new university course is seeking to fill this gap.

The Foundation of Mine Closure and Sustainable Transitions course - run in partnership with the University of Queensland and Curtin University and developed for the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TIME) - is a firstof-its-kind course that seeks to help the industry meet the various challenges associated with mine closures.

The course received extensive support from government and industry with funding through CRC TIME's mining research partners including Iluka, BHP, Rio Tinto, Alcoa, Fortescue, South32, and Newmont, and as well as the Australian Government's Department of Industry, Science and Resources through the Cooperative Research Centres Program.

"Mines are needed, there's no doubt about it," course lead George Barakos told Australian Mining. "But every time you open a mine, you also have to think about closing it and rehabilitating it.