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oPInIon Core Lithium smanaging director Stephen Biggins finds

himself at the helm of a lithium play for the first time but
he has quickly developed a passion for the mineral equal
to that he holds for the Northern Territory

Optimism

a commodity

that cannot

be mined

y my count there were at least 11 dif- tion to this was BHP Nickel West, with its Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Bferent minerals on the 2021 Diggers announcement of new solar farms and One final note on Diggers…to have the
& Dealers speaking programme, but the battery storage systems at Mt Keith and second-biggest crowd in the event’s 30-
most important commodity of all might Leinster. At the other end of the size spec- year history is quite the achievement in the
have been one that can’t be mined – op- trum, we had an emerging company in COVID-19 era.
timism. Venturex Resources Ltd – or Develop as From my observations, it was an inclu-
Even with more than half of Australia in it will be rebranded – making it clear that sive and diverse gathering that drew a
lockdown and some speakers prevented decarbonisation was a key centrepiece for wide cross-section of the WA mining and
from attending the three-day conference its business going forward. resources community (and also, the odd
in person, it’s hard to imagine a more There is a real opportunity for WA to be interstater who snuck across the border
buoyant mood than the one that prevailed a world leader in this space and it’s going early enough to attend).
at Diggers earlier this month, which is all to be exciting to watch developments over I’m told that around 20% of delegates
the more remarkable given it came in the the next few years. were female, which points to both progres-
midst of a pandemic. Of course, progress in ESG is bound to sion in the participation of women in our
Some of the reasons for that buoyancy go hand-in-hand with the growth of WA’s sector, but also the work still required to
have already been well-documented. Pric- battery minerals industry, and that was an- achieve a balance that reflects our wider
es of key commodities such as gold and other of my key takeaways from Diggers society.
iron ore remain strong, together with price & Dealers. That’s very much a challenge that CME
rebounds for future-facing commodities in
been able to operate largely uninterrupted “ There is a real opportunity for WA to be a
line with the exponential demand growth
forecast over the coming decade…more
on that later.
A related reflection shared throughout
world leader in this space and it’s going to
the conference was the privileged and
hard-won position the West Australian
be exciting to watch developments over the next
mining and resources sector is in, having
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. few years.
But, there are also causes for optimism
that underscore the way in which our sec-
tor is continuing to adapt and build for the The global landscape has changed a and its member companies are attuned to
future. great deal since lithium hit record prices to- and one we continue to work hard to ad-
ESG has become such a widely-used wards the end of 2017. But, the outlook for dress, while at the same seeking to capi-
acronym and I feel we’re nearly at the point that commodity and the others associated talise on the exciting growth prospects so
where I don’t have to outline what it stands with batteries is still very much a bright one roundly applauded at this year’s Diggers.
for…environmental, social and corporate – in the near-term but, most importantly, in
governance, for those playing at home. the long-term. Rob Carruthers is the director of policy
What was made clear at Diggers was It’s no coincidence that the likes of rare and advocacy for the Chamber of
that it’s at the forefront of mining company earths, nickel, copper and cobalt featured Minerals and Energy of WA
minds as well, not just as a corporate slo- so strongly on the Diggers agenda. All are
gan but as something they are very much at the heart of a WA battery sector that
putting into practice, and which is being still has so much potential to unlock, and
“lived” by companies on a daily basis. which is very much deserving of the type
One of Diggers’ “headline acts” in rela- of optimism that was bubbling away in

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