Federal Labor has pledged that if elected, it will create the Centre to lead the scientific research, development and co-ordination needed to discover the two-thirds of mineral deposits across Australia that remain unexplored and require cutting edge technology to be uncovered.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA (CME) chief executive Paul Everingham said today’s commitment by Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was great news for the State’s resources sector, which was committed to continual growth through exploration, as well as skilling the next generation of workers.
“The report by the Resources 2030 Taskforce released last year clearly stated that the future success of Australia’s resources sector relies largely on working smarter, safer, cleaner and more efficiently, with a key enabler of success being the ability to harness new innovations and technologies, such as the automation of drilling, excavation and truck and rail networks,” he said.
“CME’s own research in its 2018-2028 Resources Sector Outlook found the increased use of automation, artificial intelligence and the deployment of advanced extraction techniques had the potential to improve the safety, productivity and competitiveness of the sector over the coming decade.
“Today’s announcement is a positive first step towards ensuring the potential of the nation’s natural resources are realised to the benefit of all Australians.”
Mr Everingham also welcomed Labor’s pledge to provide 50 mining engineering scholarships for Australian students attending WA universities, each worth $20,000, with half of them for women.
