Former Association of Mining and Exploration Companies South Australian director and 20‑year resources veteran has been appointed to the state’s new Coexistence board, set up to manage land access tensions between miners, farmers and other land users. The board is expected to advise on approvals and conditions for exploration and mining leases, with a focus on coexistence on freehold and pastoral land. For project teams, this signals closer scrutiny of stakeholder engagement, surface access agreements and disturbance footprints in South Australia.

Efforts to reform the Kimberley Process have stalled again after the World Diamond Council spent three years drafting a broader “conflict diamond” definition to include non-state armed groups and explicitly recognise artisanal and small-scale miners. The proposed wording aimed to move beyond the current focus on rebel movements against legitimate governments, addressing violence linked to private security forces, criminal gangs and abusive supply-chain intermediaries. Continued deadlock leaves producers, cutters and retailers operating under a narrow legal definition that diverges from NGO expectations and many downstream buyers’ ESG due-diligence standards.

The UK government plans to meet 30% of domestic demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements from UK sources by 2035 under a new 10‑year strategy. The plan mirrors US, Canadian and EU policies aimed at reducing reliance on China‑dominated supply chains for battery, wind turbine and electronics materials. For miners and processors, it signals stronger backing for domestic exploration, recycling capacity and mid‑stream refining projects, with permitting, ESG compliance and grid access likely to be key constraints.