Isa challenge looms large

Time gap topic at mining conference

A former Mount Isa Mines copper boss said the mining city is facing the looming challenge of a time gap between the loss of 1200 mine workers and the creation of new mining projects.

But Steve de Kruijff believes the city is capable of being more resilient to population loss because of the loyalty of multi-generational Mount Isans who would prefer to remain in the region.

He will chair a mining conference next week which aims to bring miners and policy makers together in the same room to address significant issues in the North West Minerals Province.

Attendees already know the province’s significant economic contributions that flow through North Queensland to the Port of Townsville, an international demand for critical minerals, and that there is more than $500bn worth of potential mineral resource projects in the North West.

But the proverbial elephant in the room will be the loss of 1200 jobs once Glencore phases out its copper operations and concentrator in Mount Isa by halfway through next year.

Mr de Kruijff said there were many positives for the province but that the most promising in a list of projects was Harmony’s Eva Copper Mine project, which was identified as a prescribed project by the state government and would be fast tracked for development. Its construction and operation had the potential to support 1250 jobs and had an operational life of about 15 years.

“There is sort of a time gap issue there,” he said.

“But if we don’t start pushing these projects as hard as possible and bringing them in, then we’re going to struggle.

“There still is an opportunity once these projects get going that people that might have lived and worked in Mount Isa and can’t anymore will probably look at coming back again to look at the opportunities that might arise.

“Not saying that will happen, but some of these people have been working and living as second, third, fourth generation Mount Isans. They love the place.

“So there is an opportunity, I think, for groups or individuals at least to come back and work when those jobs start to arrive.”

The North West MPX’S event manager Emma Harman said the conference was in its third year.

It was the local chamber of commerce’s successor to the former MINEX conference which had declined in its last years, but Ms Harman said it adapted to include a conference that would attract the industry’s decision makers.

Junior miners and industry experts would feature at the conference, as would Townsville-based Resources Minister Scott Stewart.

“In October 2023, following the announcement by Glencore to close their copper mine and concentrator, the Minister announced that the Queensland government were committed to the long-term viability of Mount Isa,” she said.