Perenti Limited has appointed Dr Vanessa Torres as managing director and chief executive officer, succeeding long‑serving CEO Mark Norwell at the ASX‑listed mining services group that operates Barminco and Ausdrill across underground and open‑pit contracts. Torres, a former chief technical officer at South32 and senior executive at BHP and Vale, brings deep experience in large‑scale iron ore, base metals and coal operations, including brownfield expansion and asset optimisation. The leadership change signals continuity for Perenti’s contract mining, drill‑and‑blast and underground development business while positioning it to pursue more technically complex projects and decarbonisation initiatives.

Rio Tinto has committed $1.8 million to Lifeline WA to fund crisis support volunteers answering calls across Western Australia, with a focus on remote mining communities in the Pilbara. The three-year funding package will support recruitment, training and retention of telephone crisis supporters, who handle calls from FIFO workers, contractors and families affected by isolation, shift work and mental health pressures. For mine operators, the move signals continued expectation for structured psychosocial risk management alongside traditional safety systems on large iron ore operations.

Tungsten prices hitting record highs have prompted Larvotto Resources to fast‑track work at its Hillgrove polymetallic project in New South Wales, targeting historically mined tungsten–antimony–gold lodes within an existing underground mine and processing footprint. The company is reviewing past production data and existing plant configuration to define a restart pathway that can exploit current prices without greenfield capital intensity. For mine planners and metallurgists, the key question is how far the legacy stopes, tailings and circuit can be re‑optimised for higher tungsten recoveries under today’s market conditions.