Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/103334
forefront and Western Australia will be tied up with major projects for the next three to five years. A series of pronouncements by cabinet ministers insist the mining boom has further to run through 2013 in an attempt to counter fears of a slowdown after BHP Billiton's decision in August to put a hold on its $30-billion Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine expansion. On another front, our mining industry is making progress in reducing costs and increasing its competitiveness in world markets by becoming arguably (and surprisingly, to some) the world leader in the application of robotics to mining. We're seeing progress that would have been beyond comprehension a decade ago, with waste and ore on a Rio Tinto mine being transported by a fleet of Komatsu autonomous trucks and ore carried kilometres to the coast by driverless trains. Some $200 billion has been committed to iron ore and LNG production in the next few years, stretching resources and skilled labour supply while developing massive new infrastructure in the nation's northwest. Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) has become the norm because infrastructure such as on-site accommodation for miners hasn't caught up fast enough. The fast construction of a dozen or more airstrips in the remote and arid north has resulted. We're seeing an increasing number of Indigenous workers on our northern mine sites – in some cases, 25 per cent of employees. This is an encouraging development that promises to make a real contribution to equality and living standards in remote communities. The industry is increasingly a key driver of economic activity in regional and remote Australia, accounting for more than 30 per cent of direct employment in some regions. A lasting benefit for Australia is the ongoing massive investment in infrastructure created by the surge in the mining industry, which has given us new roads, ports, airfields and communications. 2013 will see this bounty continue and forge a permanent legacy, whatever the long-term future holds for the industry. Fast Fact Despite contributing to 50% of Australia's exports and being a leading producer of minerals, the mining industry uses only 0.2% of Australia's landmass. 62