Arrival and registration 

Welcome and Introductions 

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Western Australia’s water resources law does not provide the State Government or members of the WA community with the legal rights and duties for sustainable water resources management in the face of a warming and drying climate over much of the State, especially in the south-west agricultural regions and the western Pilbara.

While desalination may supply secure levels of domestic water needs in major urban areas, water law reform is needed to: a) clarify the effect of the “Crown vesting” provision and better define the rights of landholders to surface and ground water resources,

b) provide for legally binding statutory water allocation plans and reformed water access entitlements to secure an equitable share of diminishing water resources environmental values in urban and rural areas as well as for rural and remote residential communities and business enterprises; and

c) strengthen compliance with the limits of water access rights by providing more efficient means of landholders challenging unlawful behaviour that deprives them of their water rights, and greatly strengthening the criminal sanctions provisions and enforcement powers of government.

Reference will be made to some case studies, including the decision of the WA Court of Appeal in Crossley v English [2025] WASCA 141, delivered 24 September 2025.

PFAS contamination is now a critical compliance and risk issue facing organisations across Australia.

With tightening regulations, evolving policy frameworks, and increasing scrutiny from regulators and communities, managing PFAS waste is no longer optional - it demands informed, defensible action.

In this session, Dr Jimmy Seow will unpack the practical realities of PFAS waste management, outlining current treatment and disposal pathways in line with Australian policy, regulation, and emerging best practices.

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Delegates will gain clear guidance on selecting appropriate management strategies, understanding compliance obligations, and avoiding the unintended environmental, financial, and reputational consequences that arise from poor decision-making.

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This is a must-attend session for organisations seeking to stay ahead of risk and get PFAS management right.

Panel & Audience Q & A 

Morning tea 

In 2026, water security and sustainable groundwater management are defining priorities for Australia’s mining sector, driven by resource competition, climate variability, and rising regulatory expectations.

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This session examines key reforms shaping water strategy, including expanded desalination in arid regions such as the Pilbara, the shift to outcome-based environmental assessments, the Water Online fast-track licensing process, and stronger protections for groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

Mining operations must now move beyond site water balances to integrated, catchment-aware approaches addressing cumulative aquifer and ecological impacts.

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Delegates will gain practical frameworks to align operations with regulatory change, leverage technology and digital licensing tools, and embed ecosystem-centric planning to deliver compliance, ESG performance, and long-term community confidence.

As climate change intensifies, mine water management is becoming increasingly complex, with extreme rainfall, flooding, and storm-driven inflows placing significant stress across site water systems, including tailings storage facilities, water dams, and integrated water balances.

In 2026, evolving frameworks such as the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) are reinforcing the need for climate-resilient, risk-informed design and management of mine water systems across the full project lifecycle — from design and construction through to operation and closure.

This session will explore practical approaches to designing and managing mine water and tailings systems to withstand extreme hydrological loading conditions, with consideration of seismic resilience where relevant. It will examine how advanced modelling, improved water balance forecasting, and real-time monitoring are being used to strengthen operational decision-making and reduce risk.

Delegates will gain insights into how leading practice is shifting toward integrated water and tailings resilience, ensuring mining operations remain safe, compliant, and robust under increasingly volatile climate conditions.

This presentation will explore a holistic approach to water security in mining operations, combining:

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•    Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR): Innovative strategies for managing water in environmentally sensitive landscapes, including operational deployment and technical lessons learned
•    Strategic Water Use: Managing water resources in a drying climate, groundwater resource management, and alignment with ESG framework
•    Regulatory Compliance: Water management plan development and managing impacts to ensure long-term operational resilience

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Delegates will gain practical insights into how innovative water solutions, strategic compliance, and infrastructure planning intersect to deliver sustainable water management across the mine lifecycle.

Dredge Robotics 

Q & A 

Lunch 

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Earthlok 

Diesel remains the backbone of mining operations due to its high energy density, reliability, and established infrastructure, particularly for heavy machinery, haul trucks, and remote site operations.

However, ongoing global conflict and geopolitical instability are putting immediate pressure on fuel supply chains, causing price volatility, supply disruptions, and operational risks.

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This session takes a practical, site-level perspective, exploring how mines are responding to these challenges today.

Topics include:

• Strategies for emergency fuel planning and supply chain management

• Operational adjustments to maintain production amid diesel shortages

• Practical deployment of hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel systems at the mine level

• Real-world lessons from mines already adapting to fuel and ESG pressures​

Delegates will gain insight into how mines are managing short-term fuel security while meeting ESG requirements, and understand what a resilient operational energy strategy looks like in today’s volatile environment.

Mining operations are undergoing a fundamental shift in how energy is generated, managed, and consumed, driven by accelerating decarbonisation commitments, technological innovation, and the long-term need to reduce reliance on diesel-intensive systems.

While diesel remains central to productivity and reliability in remote mining environments, the industry is increasingly exploring pathways to diversify and transform its energy base.

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This session examines the practical transition toward lower-carbon mine energy systems, focusing on the role of electrification, renewable energy integration, and emerging storage technologies in reshaping operational design.

It will explore how mining companies are beginning to implement battery-electric and hybrid fleet solutions, deploy on-site solar, wind, and microgrid systems, and manage the integration of these technologies within complex, high-demand operational environments.

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The discussion will also address the real-world constraints of this transition, including infrastructure limitations, capital investment requirements, energy reliability in off-grid operations, and the need to maintain production continuity during system changeovers.

Rather than a purely theoretical decarbonisation narrative, the session will focus on what is achievable today, what is emerging in practice, and how operators are sequencing energy transformation over time.

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Delegates will gain insight into how mine energy systems are being re-engineered for a lower-carbon future, and what a realistic, staged pathway away from diesel dependency looks like across the mining lifecycle.

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Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations on the minerals sector are expanding quickly-across investors, customers, regulators and communities-yet the reporting landscape remains disjointed.

Many organisations must navigate overlapping frameworks, voluntary commitments, regulatory regimes and site-based standards, often translating the same underlying evidence into multiple formats.

The result is repeated effort, inconsistent interpretations, higher compliance cost and avoidable exposure to audit, reputation and supply chain risk-felt most acutely by junior and mid-tier operators and their contractors.

This presentation introduces a collaborative, value-chain initiative to simplify how ESG obligations and credentials are identified and managed from global requirements down to local site activity

The initiative brings together participants across exploration, mining, processing, logistics and downstream partners to develop a shared approach to ESG intelligence and governance: mapping requirements, clarifying common data needs, and improving traceability from source evidence to disclosure.

Delegates will learn how a coordinated platform approach can reduce duplication, strengthen assurance readiness, and support more consistent, decision-useful ESG outcomes -while remaining practical for organisations with lean teams.

The session will outline the initiative’s scope, intended users, and pathways for industry participation, with a focus on improving efficiency, transparency and trust across the minerals value chain.

Panel session 

Sundowner and depart