Abstract/Summary

The Thirteenth International Conference on Mine Closure returns to Perth, Australia where it was first held in 2006. Since then Mine Closure has become a necessary focus of mining and, with a global revival in the mining industry, the topic of Mine Closure is now more relevant than ever. Minimising financial costs while satisfying stakeholder expectations and achieving sustainable closure are now considered essential in planning the mining process. The material to be presented at this year’s Mine Closure conference, and the information contained in the conference Proceedings will provide assistance to owners, operators and consultants who are currently facing the challenges of managing, or planning for, closure of mines. The themes covered in this year’s conference once again deal with key, perennial issues such as planning and financing mine closure with consideration of issues such as community engagement, rehabilitation and remediation providing key topics. Fundamental matters such as how to achieve much sought after relinquishment, and the vexing issue of how to deal with and manage legacy sites along with concerns of ongoing liabilities are all considered in the conference and these proceedings. The section on stakeholders and community engagement emphasises the priority that ever more companies are giving to considerations of social performance. Finally, a number of well documented Case Studies provide information on how specific and sometimes unique challenges have been addressed. The information contained in the Proceedings contains information and ideas that will be of continuing interest and use by planners, designers, contractors, operators, owners and regulators alike. In a rapidly evolving field such as Mine Closure, the benefits of having a truly international representation of delegates, such as at Mine Closure 2019, is evident from the quality and variety of topics covered in these Proceedings.