Rio Tinto has strengthened its share structure as major institutional investors signal support for a potential merger with Glencore, positioning the combined group as a dominant player in iron ore, copper and aluminium. A deal would consolidate Rio’s Pilbara iron ore system and Oyu Tolgoi copper interests with Glencore’s large thermal coal, cobalt and zinc portfolios, concentrating ownership of several Tier 1 orebodies. For geotechnical and mining engineers, such consolidation could accelerate portfolio-level decisions on mine life extensions, brownfield expansions and closure schedules across multiple continents.

Gold built Victoria’s mining legacy, but the state is now targeting a new wave of critical minerals including rare earths, lithium and high‑purity alumina alongside its established gold sector. Exploration is intensifying in the Bendigo and Stawell zones, with juniors and majors using deeper diamond drilling and modern geophysics to chase structurally controlled deposits beneath historic workings. For geotechs and mine planners, the shift means more complex underground designs in highly altered host rocks and greater emphasis on tailings reprocessing, acid‑forming potential and multi‑commodity processing flowsheets.

Australia’s Federal Government has released an Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus detailing 49 mining projects and 29 midstream processing proposals across commodities such as lithium, rare earths and high-purity alumina. The prospectus is aimed at attracting offshore capital into upstream deposits and midstream plants, including projects like Iluka Resources’ Eneabba monazite operation in Western Australia, to build domestic separation, refining and value-adding capacity. For engineers and project developers, the document signals a pipeline of greenfield and brownfield work spanning mine development, concentrators and chemical processing infrastructure.