Macmahon has secured the mining services contract for the restart of the Mount Carlton gold mine in Queensland, signalling a move from care-and-maintenance back to full-scale open-pit and underground production. The scope is expected to cover drill-and-blast, load-and-haul and potentially underground development, requiring rapid recommissioning of mobile fleets, dewatering systems and ground support in previously inactive stopes. Geotechnical teams will need to reassess pit wall stability and underground conditions after the production hiatus, with updated monitoring and slope management plans before ramp-up.

Glencore has appointed industry veteran Peter Sharpe as chief executive officer of its Australian coal business, following the departure of previous head Ian Cribb. Sharpe will oversee a portfolio that includes large open-cut and underground operations in New South Wales and Queensland, supplying both thermal and metallurgical coal into export markets. The leadership change comes as Glencore navigates approvals, rehabilitation obligations and community pressure around its coal assets, including the proposed extension of the Glendell and Hunter Valley operations.

Queensland’s north-west copper sector is set for a major expansion as the State Government declares the proposed $2.3 billion Eva copper mine a prescribed project, fast-tracking approvals in the Mt Isa–Cloncurry district. The Eva project, owned by Copper Mountain (now part of Hudbay Minerals), is planned as a large-scale open-pit operation targeting multiple copper-gold deposits using conventional crush–grind–flotation processing. The decision signals strong backing for new sulphide concentrator capacity in an area already constrained by ageing infrastructure and long-haul concentrate logistics.