7.10am - 7.25am

Registration and Arrival 

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7.30am – 7.50am

Sit Down Breakfast

7.50am – 8.00am

Welcome and Introductions

8.00am – 8.25am

Climate-Resilient Mine Closure in Western Australia: Designing for Flood, Erosion and Long-Term Performance

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Western Australia's mining sector is facing increasing pressure to ensure closure strategies remain effective under changing climatic conditions.

While much of WA is characterised by arid and semi-arid environments, recent years have demonstrated the significant impact that extreme rainfall events, tropical cyclones, flooding and prolonged heat can have on mine infrastructure, rehabilitated landforms and post-closure water systems.

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From the Pilbara's cyclone-driven rainfall events to changing hydrological conditions across the Goldfields and Mid West, traditional closure assumptions are being challenged by more variable and less predictable weather patterns.

Closure designs that were once based on historical climate records are now being reassessed against future climate projections and long-term resilience requirements.

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This session examines how climate risk is influencing mine closure planning across Western Australia, including the design and stability of rehabilitated landforms, tailings storage facilities, drainage structures and post-closure water management systems.

It will explore emerging approaches to climate-adapted closure design, regulatory expectations, long-term liability considerations and lessons learned from extreme weather events affecting mining operations across the state.

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Delegates will gain practical insights into incorporating climate projections into closure planning, assessing future flood and erosion risks, and developing closure outcomes that remain stable, safe and sustainable for generations to come.

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Key Discussion Points

• Climate projections and emerging weather trends across WA mining regions.

• Cyclone impacts and extreme rainfall risks in the Pilbara.

• Designing rehabilitated landforms for long-term erosion resistance.

• Post-closure flood management and drainage system performance.

• Climate resilience considerations for tailings and waste landforms.

• Long-term liability and closure assurance implications.

• Monitoring, adaptive management and post-closure performance verification.

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8.30am - 9.00am

Reducing Risk in Tailings and Water Storage Facilities using Autonomous Robotics

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As mining operations face increasing pressure to improve water stewardship and reduce long-term closure liabilities, technology-enabled intervention is transforming how tailings and water systems are managed during operations.

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This session explores how robotic and remote technologies are being used to manage sediment build-up, optimise water recovery, and maintain infrastructure performance while reducing shutdown requirements and personnel exposure to hazardous environments.

 

Key Discussion Areas

• Robotic and remote systems in tailings and water management

• Sediment control and maintaining storage capacity in active operations

• Improving water recovery and operational efficiency

• Reducing shutdown requirements and personnel exposure risk

• Linking operational intervention to closure readiness outcomes​

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9.00am - 9.15am

Q & A and Panel 

 

9.15am - 9.30am 

Break 

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9.30am - 10.00am 

Nature-Positive Mine Closure: Creating environmental value beyond rehabilitation

This session explores how mine closure is shifting from traditional rehabilitation into a broader opportunity to deliver measurable environmental value.

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It examines the rise of biodiversity credits and emerging environmental markets, including the Nature Repair Market, and what these frameworks mean for future closure planning.

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Discussion will focus on practical approaches to ecological restoration and ecosystem recovery, and how success is increasingly defined beyond regulatory compliance.

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The session will also consider growing investor and community expectations for credible, transparent environmental outcomes, and how these are influencing closure strategies.

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Finally, it will highlight nature-positive post-mining land use approaches that aim to transform closure sites into long-term environmental assets rather than liabilities.

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10.00am  - 10.30am:

Panel Q&A, Networking and close