Professor Steve Hall, Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University

Seminar Title:  Communities, the Mining Industry and Government – The Need to Find Common Ground

The UNEBS R&RT Committee cordially invites you to attend to Professor Steve Hall’s Seminar. The session will be held on Monday 12th October in Lecture Theatre 5, W39 in EBL Building at 12:00PM.

Abstract

A key issue emerging is the benefits (or lack of benefits) to the communities most impacted by mining – these communities provide the industry with the “social licence to operate” – however it has rightly been questioned recently that social development should not be expected of the mining industry alone. Development must be sustainable for a region – since mines all eventually close (normally as great an impact or even greater than when they open!). Education about mining is essential to provide a reality check to local environmental and social expectations, but also to support the evolution of appropriate mining legislation and other necessary legislation. Regulatory development and their equitable enforcement is a major challenge for developing countries, often providing the temptation to do nothing or only do something with an “inducement”. Many Australian exploration and mining companies have operations across the globe and are often the first potential major economic activity in some of the remotest and under-developed parts of the world. Assistance with general education, infrastructure (water, sanitation and transport) and healthcare can quickly create regional inequalities that cause migration of significant numbers of people – resulting in a dynamic and differing communities than those often evaluated in social impact assessments. The nature and capacity of local governments are often inadequate to cope with such major changes. It is noted that there are many parallels with Australian mineral resource development. The presentation will draw on recent experiences, primarily across Africa, supported by the Australian Government, Western Australian Government, Australian mining companies that are active offshore and numerous discussions with ministers, bureaucrats and educators.

Professor Steve Hall is the Director of Curtin University’s Western Australian School of Mines with responsibility for multiple campus delivery of programs in applied geology, spatial sciences, exploration geophysics, mining engineering and metallurgical engineering to over 2,000 students. He features in mining’s only MOOC – “The Business of Mining” – available via the EdX platform. This MOOC has to date enrolled over 5,000 students from over 157 countries. Mr. Hall will take on the role of Executive Director of Mining Education Australia (MEA) in January 2016. MEA is a collaborative venture in curriculum development and delivery involving three partner Universities (New South Wales, Queensland and Adelaide). Collectively the four member Universities account for over 85% of Australia’s BEng Mining Engineering graduates. Mr. Hall is a metallurgical engineer with interests in socio-environmental aspects of mining, including mine closure. He has taught and researched in the UK, Canada and Australia. He is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and an Academician of the Russian Academy of Mining Sciences. He has extensive recent experience of African mining and mining education.