MINING'S MOMENT IN THE SUN

A RECENT CSIRO REPORT SUGGESTS PUBLIC TRUST IN THE MINING INDUSTRY IS IMPROVING, BUT THE SECTOR MUST REMAIN VIGILANT.

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Public opinion of the Australian resources industry has ebbed and flowed over time.

But as the need to transition to renewable energy becomes entrenched in the public’s consciousness, mining – especially the mining of critical minerals – has seen a step change in attitude.

The mining industry is no longer the hulking unknown in the background, having certified its importance in recent years – a change backed up by a recent citizen survey.

Conducted by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and Voconiq, the ‘Australian attitudes toward mining’ report examines the public’s outlook on the industry, providing crucial insights for policymakers, industry leaders and communities.

“The idea behind the report was to have a large representative sample of the Australian population,” Voconiq chief executive officer and co-founder Kieren Moffat told Australian Mining.

“We collected about 88 per cent of the data using a panel-based collection method, then we opened the floor to anyone 18 years and over who wanted to have their say. This was to make sure that anyone who wanted could participate, and it led to interesting findings.”

This latest survey is the third instalment in a decade-long program of research, providing an update on national surveys conducted in 2014 and 2017.

Over 6400 participants were surveyed for this edition, with a focus on critical and energy transition minerals. Overall, it was found public trust in the mining industry has improved from 2017.