Tag: Federal Government

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What You Missed in the News This Week

The Federal Government has prevented Chinese company Yuxiao Fund from raising its stake in Northern Minerals on grounds of national interest.

Yuxiao Fund wanted to increase its holding from 9.92% to 19.9% but needed approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board.

Northern Minerals has been focused on fine-tuning its heavy rare earths processing system through a pilot plant, which could make the Western Australia-based miner one world’s first significant heavy rare earth producer outside of China.

 

Northern Minerals

 

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has ordered Alcoa to clean out the toxic pipeline it built over Samson Dam in Waroona without approval.

The US based company had already built the pipeline to move firefighting PFAS contaminated water over the dam before even applying for approval.

DWER found the pipeline did not meet the requirements to prevent leaks and its location made it at risk of damage by vehicles.

This news is the latest in a series of potentially disastrous environmental blunders by Alcoa: earlier in the week the WA Forest Alliance called in the WA Environment Protection Authority to review Alcoa’s plans to mine jarrah forests after fear their mines will endanger Perth’s water supply and last week the state government expressed concerns Alcoa mines posed a risk to 1/3 of Perth’s drinking water in Serpentine Dam.

Forest Alliance convenor Jess Beckerling said the risks from Alcoa’s mining warranted a full and transparent assessment of its cumulative impact.

“This is obviously a matter of major public concern,” she said.

“The expectation must be that current best-practice WA government policy and aspirations are applied and maintained, and that the safety of drinking water and the integrity of ecological function is protected.”

 

Anon via WA Today

 

Austral Gold has completed the sale of its Pinguino project to E2 Minerals, receiving $3.7M on Tuesday, with another $3.7M over the next 3 years.

Austral Gold’s CEO Stabro Kasaneva said “The transaction resulted in the immediate cash injection of US$2.5M to partially fund the development of the Heap Reprocessing project at our flagship Guanaco-Amancaya mine complex in Chile.”

 

Austral Gold

 

Enegex has entered into a sale agreement with Caravel Minerals to sell them a tenement of Walebing Project.

Tenement E70/5442’s 82.4km2 are located 122km northeast of Perth.

Enegex will retain 100% ownership of the remaining 3 tenements at the site.

Enegex Director, Rae Clark, said they are excited the transaction will “provide Enegex with exposure to Caravel’s exploration expertise through a royalty agreement.”

 

 

The S&P/ASX200 markets had a positive week, finishing at 7,284 points, 0.39% higher than Thursday. The top performing stocks were Liontown Resources, up 13.19%, and Ramelius Resources, up 5.58%.

Liontown was also the top performing stock in the All Ordinaries, the markets finished at 7,484 points.

 

 

Gold has made a swift recovery after a disappointing end to February. The week started at February’s lowest of $1,812.73USD before steadily climbing to $1,850.38USD.

Silver peaked on Wednesday at $21.35, stumbling on Thursday before recovering on Friday to $21.31.

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What You Missed in the News This Week

Weeks after the West Australian Government raised concerns that Alcoa’s mines posed a risk to the Serpentine Dam and 1/5 of Perth’s drinking water, it has been discovered that the US miner has risked another WA dam.

Alcoa applied for approval to build pipelines over WA’s Waroona Dam to pump PFAS contaminated water from firefighting foam, and despite not yet receiving approval, has already built the pipeline.

The Water Corporation worries a leak in the pipeline could contaminate the dam and said Alcoa built it without their knowledge.

A spokesperson from Water Corp said “It is Water Corporation’s view that such a pipeline would, along with other concerns, present an unacceptable risk to drinking water quality, therefore, Water Corporation does not support Alcoa’s proposal in its current form.”

Anon via WA Today

 

BHP has announced it is selling its Daunia and Blackwater mines in Queensland, citing a 9.3B (32%) drop in its half-year profits and increased royalties.

BHP Mitsubishi Alliance asset president Mauro Neves said the Queensland Government’s decision to raise cola royalties had made the state uncompetitive.

 

 

Mineral Resources has entered into two binding agreements with Albemarle Corporation, the first to change their 40% ownership of the joint owned Wodgina Mine to 50% and the second to increase investment in lithium in China.

MinRes managing director Chis Ellison said “We are delighted to have reached these binding agreements, which cement MinRes’ place as a world-leader in lithium mining and leverage our partner Albemarle’s strong track record in battery chemical production.

“By growing our battery chemicals business and expanding into global chemical marketing, MinRes will become one of the world’s largest fully integrated lithium chemical suppliers to auto manufacturers, capitalising on the increasing demand for sustainable battery mineral products.”

 

 

The Federal and West Australian governments will invest $565m into expanding and upgrading the port at Port Headland.

In the first stage, two seawalls and a causeway will be constructed, increasing the port’s capacity to export lithium and copper.

MGN Civil will complete the construction works, with 90 per cent of materials and suppliers being sourced within the Pilbara region along with partnerships with First Nations businesses.

Anthony Albanese said “Demand is growing locally and overseas for clean energy sources and our Government’s investment in the Lumsden Point expansion will help position northern Australia to take advantage of the economic opportunities this demand presents.”

 

Town of Port Hedland

 

Magnis Energy Technologies has entered into an agreement with Tesla to supply them with critical minerals for electric vehicles.

Tesla will buy a minimum of 17,500 tonnes per annum of lithium and other critical minerals from February 2025.

Magnis chairman Frank Poullas said “We are really excited to bring our high-performing AAM to market that requires no chemical or thermal purification throughout the whole process, which differentiates this sustainable material in the market and provides great value to all parties.”

 

Tesla

 

The S&P/ASX200 markets have continued its month-long downward path. The week started at 7,354 points, falling sharply on Tuesday and Wednesday, before raising slightly to 7,307 points at close of day Friday.

The All Ordinaries saw similar drops on Tuesday and Wednesday. The index lost 0.52% for the last 5 days.

 

 

Gold had a somewhat disappointing week, dropping from $1,848.42USD on Monday to $1,828.95USD on Friday, continuing the downward trend for the month.

Silver stayed steady at the start of the week, though stumbling at the end of the week to finish off at $21.58USD.

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What you missed in the news this week

St Barbara and Genesis Minerals have announced their merger to create Hoover House,

St Barbara will acquire 100% of the shares in Genesis. Genesis shareholders will own 41% of Hoover House, with St Barbara shareholders owning 38%.

Hoover House will have a production target of over 300,000oz of gold per annum.

St Barbara chair, Tim Netscher, said: “The merger with our Leonora neighbour, Genesis, to create Hoover House, will accelerate our Leonora Province Plan. Shareholders will reap the benefits of more production at lower cost and lower risk from this prolific mining district.”

Genesis Managing Director, Raleigh Finlayson, said: “By combining with St Barbara, we are creating Hoover House, the premium Australian gold company we envisaged, with sustainable, high-quality production.”

St Barbara

 

The federal government has announced a cap on gas and coal prices as part of its Energy Price Relief Plan.

The plan includes the 12-month emergency gas price cap, a targeted energy bill relief for households and businesses, and investment in cleaner, cheaper and reliable energy.

Anthony Albanese said the action is designed to “provide all Australians with a buffer in unprecedented times.”

 

A South African researcher has developed a new way to remove contaminates from water used in mining.

The process involves small polystyrene beads that chemically bond with pollutants as the water passes through, cleaning the water and collecting the pollutants for reuse.

Ed Hardwick, owner of Cwenga Technologies said the beads extract valuable materials from the water: “What has been identified in some streams, especially coal mining streams, is that the acid that’s produced from the mine waters actually dissolves out some rare earth materials.”

 

Aruma Resources has announced its recently completed diamond core drilling program at their Salmon gums Gold Project has expanded the project’s Greenstone footprint to over 75km2.

The drilling, located at their Norseman Gold Camp was designed to provide a deeper geological understanding of the project and opened up the potential for the project to host multiple horizons.

 

Kin Mining has completed their first deep diamond drill-hole at Helens-Rangoon Fault – which saw wide zones of shallow gold – to test an Induced Polarisation anomaly.

The drilling was completed at their Cardinia Gold Project near Leonora and has intersected significant zones of gold mineralisation.

Kin Mining Managing Director, Andrew Munckton, said: “This represents a strong start to the 5‐hole diamond drill program, which is designed to test the first generation of deeper targets at Cardinia with the aim of uncovering new, high‐grade discoveries within the exciting Eastern Corridor.”

Shire of Leonora

 

S&P/ASX 200 markets started out the week a little lower, at 7,163 points before climbing to 7,253 points at the end of Wednesday. The markets saw a sudden drop Friday morning, falling from 7,209 points to 7,122 points before making a slight comeback to finish the week.

The All Ordinaries followed a similar trajectory, falling 91 points to 7,304 points Friday morning, before climbing again throughout the day.

 

Gold peaked at a 3-month high of $1,813.70USD on Wednesday, before dropping again to $1,787.85USD to round out the week.

Silver saw a 6-month high of $24USD on Wednesday before a slight decline to $23.35USD to end the week.

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Federal Budget Breakdown

The 2022 October Federal Budget has been announced. Here’s how the Goldfields and mining are affected.

 

The migration cap will increase 35,000 persons to 195,000 people in 2022-23. At least 90% of these 35,000 will be for skilled migrants and more than 25% will be targeted to regional areas.

This will ease labour shortages and include accelerating visa processing. Student and secondary training visa holders will have their work restrictions relaxed until 30 June 2023.

 

In an effort to transform regional industries to net zero by 2025, the Government will establish a $1.9B Powering the Regions Fund to transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower. $1.5B will be allocated to the Pilbara Region to support mining, mineral processing, and local manufacturing, and provide investment in hydrogen and renewable energy projects.

 

$500M Driving the Nation Fund will reduce transport emissions by installing electric charging infrastructure at 117 highway sites and hydrogen highways for key freight routes. Electric cars will be exempt from fringe benefits tax (FBT) and the 5% import tariff.

$350.0M will be dedicated to seal the Tanami Road between Norther Western Australia and the Northern Territory, $400M for the Alice Springs to Halls Creek Corridor upgrade and $125M for electric bus charging in Perth.

 

$757.7M will be allocated to improving mobile and broadband connectivity in regional Australia. $7.4B will be invested to support regional development across Australia. The Growing Regions Program will support community groups, fund local projects such as libraries and regional airport upgrades. The Government will also dedicate $1.4B for local community, sport and infrastructure projects across Australia.

 

$143.3M will be provided over 4 years to support access to healthcare in rural and regional areas by investing in primary care services, training, workforce incentives and trials for innovative models of care.

 

A $50.5M Critical Minerals Research and Development Fund will invest in lithium, cobalt, manganese, titanium and rare earths to meet growing demands for batteries, electric vehicles and clean technology.

 

Multinational corporations will pay an extra $1B in tax with the crackdown on excessive deductions and profit-shifting to lower-taxing countries.

Individual taxpayers and businesses will also be targeted with the ATO cracking down on over-claiming deductions and incorrect reporting of income.

 

Due to high inflation and low wage growth, worker’s pay will effectively go backwards until 2024-25 when inflation is expected to return to 2-3%. Inflation is expected to peak at 7.75% in December.

 

The Better Regions Fund (BBRF) was the former Government’s regional grants program designed to deliver funding for regional infrastructure projects and community development activities. The Government scrapped the fund in the budget as they believe the fund wasn’t awarded based on merit and were favouring National Party electorates.

However, the budget includes a new national grants program.

 

Truck drivers will be hit with an extra 0.8 cents in tax for every litre of diesel they purchase. The Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge will increase from 26.4 cents/litre to 27.2cents/litre.

 

Consumer confidence continues to sit at a low, having peaked in 2021. The current figure is comparable to the start of the pandemic in 2020 and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.

Source: Westpac-Melbourne Institute, MWM Research, October 2022
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This Afternoons Top Story – Is Our ABC, Our ABC?

33 years ago, there was an ABC campaign that proudly told us that “Our ABC” only cost each Australian eight cents a day to operate.  Not bad value back then when you think of the services they provided.  It was only radio and TV as online services had not even been thought of then, but even so it was still great value.

The ABC provides a great service to the nation as a government owned entity. This service has increased with the addition of online services that gives us a lot of information at our fingertips. ABC rural services have been of great benefit to farmers and regional listeners and viewers; it has been part of the bush telegraph that many people rely on during the good times and when emergencies threaten communities.

The radio service first started in 1932 with TV being introduced in 1956.

Programs that have become iconic in Australians’ minds in past generations have also stood the test of time and are enjoyed by toddlers.  Play School is one such program that every Australian would have seen at some time and the show has followed the same format for decades.  The show has endured, and many Australian actors and wannabes have participated in its production.

Some iconic programs are now a thing of the past.  Blue Hills first ran on radio in 1949 and continued until 1976 and was a popular series that often-brought social issues into the program. The Argonauts Club that eventually evolved into the Children’s hour was also much loved and ran from 1933 to 1972.

Their news service has been second to none over the years and you can set your clock to the hour from when the Majestic Fanfare starts, to indicate a news bulletin is about to commence.  There was a huge backlash recently when the ABC announced it was going to drop its 7.45am, 15-minute radio news bulletin.  A lot of people thought it was a cynical exercise to try and embarrass the government over its decision to not increase the corporation’s budget by CPI.

And this brings me to my question of “is it still our ABC?”  Firstly, all other media organisations in this country a private companies or companies listed on the ASX.  Very few rely on any government funding and those that do receive some funds, receive it on the proviso of delivering a particular service.  These companies are responsible to their owners, including shareholders, and the commentary generally side with one side of the political spectrum.  For Instance, Sky News and the Australian newspaper are predominantly to the right of that spectrum and they do not shy away from that.

There has been increasing concern that the ABC has shifted too far left in its reporting of the news when it comes to politics and also that instead of reporting news it editorialises by journalists giving opinion. I have always believed that journalists should report the facts and allow the people consuming it to make up their own mind on any political implications.  Alas, across all media, it happens all to often these days that a report is spiked with an opinion.

And social media is becoming a trap for journalists who use this media to express their personal views on a government decision or to make a point about a politician.  With ABC journalists and producers, the target is often the right of politics and sometimes it can be seen in their reporting of politics.

I used to watch Sky Channel news and then switch over to watch the ABC News at 7pm.  I have cancelled my Foxtel subscription so no longer get to see Sky.  However, the reason I watched both bulletins was so I could get to see both slants on an issue and make up my own mind of what I thought of it.  I shouldn’t have to do that, especially with the ABC.

For a wholly government funded news service I don’t think we are getting balanced reporting at the moment.  I would much rather see just the facts and the viewer allowed to form their own opinion.  So, at the moment I think my eight cents has been devalued and I am not getting the same value I did 33 years ago.  This is a pity for me, as I still appreciate the ABC and all it has done for Australia over the many years it has been operating.

Written by Gary Brown. 

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Today’s Top Story – Does The Corporate World and the Media Treat People Fairly Anymore?

Today I thought I would look at how the media and some corporations treat people and ask; Is that really fair?

For example, the media in the last day or two have been all over the case of Channel Nine News director, Darren Wick, who was charged with a high-level alcohol driving offence that occurred last Friday evening.  Mr Wick has since come out and said that he has realised he has a drinking problem and taking steps to address it.

Prior to this, if you had surveyed all of Australia and asked; “Who is Darren Wick?’ the vast majority would have said, Who?  Yet here he is having his personal life splashed across the media; and of course, it was their competitors doing most of the wailing.  Don’t get me wrong, I in no way condone drink driving and what he did was reckless.  But did he deserve the attention he got? He is not a public figure. He is not a prominent person even if he does influence how news is delivered by Channel Nine.

If the Prime Minister was caught doing the same, I can see the rationale behind it being a story, but the prominence given to Mr. Wick was disproportionate in my opinion. One thing I can say is good on him for being so candid.

I would like to talk about a footballer at AFL level now who has been banned from playing football for about 400 days and still no charges have been laid or an end in sight to when it will be resolved.  West Coast player, Willie Rioli, has been accused of tampering with a urine sample he was asked to provide in August 2018.  He was stood down in September 2019 after he received a second breach for testing positive to cannabis.

Neither of the two accusations have been tested at a tribunal or any other forum where he can try and clear his name or accept responsibility for what has happened. The AFL has wiped their hands of it saying that ASADA has responsibility for how and when the case will proceed. I thought the AFL controlled the AFL not ASADA.

Apparently because of the way the AFL is structured, and the agreements clubs and players have with the AFL, there is no legal recourse to make the AFL act quicker.  As for ASADA, they apparently don’t care that a player has literally been left on the sidelines for so long, that it could affect his future, not only with the club, but life after footy.

Surely ASADA isn’t inundated with cases to the point that a back log of such magnitude exits. Surely it doesn’t take 400 plus days to analyse a “B” sample and report back to the AFL. If this is the case, there is a case for AFL to move away from the ASADA regime and start their own testing facility that they can exercise their own timelines on.

On top of all this if the eventual charges are proved he could face a four-year ban that will effectively end his career.  I don’t know if time already banned from the game will be taken into consideration when issuing a ban, but I hope for Mr. Rioli’s sake it will be.

Because Mr. Wick is going through the court system, he will be dealt with quickly, even though it is a serious charge, he has publicly acknowledged the facts and the courts can deal with cases like this quickly. In most cases like this it is the defendant that causes delays, if there are any.

With Mr. Rioli, it is a case of not even been charged with an offence or offences and no prospect in site, as those responsible for carriage of the case drag their feet. No Charges – no play doesn’t sound fair to me.

These are just two examples of people being harshly treated by media and corporations, in my opinion, that have little empathy or sympathy for the people involved. There are countless others who have been in similar situations that have had their lives changed forever.

Written by Gary Brown.

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Tonight’s Top Story – Are We Over-Governed by Politicians and Bureaucrats in Australia and at What Cost?

File:Australian Senate - Parliament of Australia.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

We have a federal government; each state and territory have a government and there is a myriad of councils and shires in each as well.

Each level of government has its own responsibilities however there is a lot of crossover in some areas.  Take for example health and education.  The federal government provides a lot of the funds that each state and territory government need to operate these sectors.  Although the feds provide the bulk of the finances it is the states and territory governments that are responsible for them.

In health you have a bureaucracy at federal level determining what level of funding should be allocated where.  In particular the feds are responsible for funding hospitals, but the states run them.  You then have another bureaucracy at state level allocating the funding to each public hospital and of course another bureaucracy within each hospital allocating funding to the various departments.  That is a lot of money being spent from the allocated budget before one patient receives a benefit.

And for education the process is repeated, again with a lot of money being spent before one student lifts a pencil in a classroom.  Then there is the political argy-bargy that goes on between state and federal counterparts in the sectors.  Each minister in each sector would have a plethora of advisors, media and administrative personnel so the minister can be across their brief and take pot-shots at others over how their administration is better than the others.  More money out the door before it gets to be used on grassroot purposes.

At the recent Hotel Quarantine Inquiry in Victoria a complicated bureaucratic system of decision making has been revealed.  The end result was a disaster that no one is keen on taking responsibility for.  Now I am sure that this level of bureaucracy is not unique to Victoria and there will be other jurisdictions that have the same complexity of administration in various areas.  This again highlights the theme of a lot of money being spent before what is left over gets an outcome.

The public service juggernaut in Australia sailed through the Covid19 restrictions without a scratch.  While other sectors were laying off people, reducing hours or closing down, the fortnightly paycheque for public servants kept on being deposited into their accounts.  All hell broke out in NSW when the government put a freeze on public service wages during Covid19.  Unions threatened industrial action, not satisfied that they didn’t have to take the risks like those in the private sector.  Secure in their jobs and with no pay cuts it riled many that were suffering through no fault of their own.

At the local level the various shires and councils that look after their patches are too many in some states.  In WA there are 138 councils.  Yes, WA is a big area but some of these shires cater for a population of 300 ratepayers or less.  The WA government has flagged that they are amenable to reducing the number of shires to make it more practical.  Peppermint Grove Council in Perth’s leafy western suburbs covers an area of one square kilometre. (That is not a typo).  It has revenue of only $5M and at last count had 24 employees.  Surely it would be a candidate to merge with another council, in fact as part of a merger of a few councils in the area.  The government is also keen to reduce the number of councillors that sit around the table.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that at all levels we have too many politicians and too many bureaucrats that waste money that could be going towards the myriad of projects that need the money more.

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Morning News Bites – September 18

Morning News Bites for September 18. Indian company Adani has starting digging its controversial Carmichael coal mine in Central Queensland, New Zealand in recession after record 12pc contraction and changes to Job Seeker, with recipients needing to search for eight jobs a month to receive the payment. 

Venus Metals Corporation Limited in conjunction with Rox Resources Limited reported the results of recent reverse circulation (RC) drilling at Sovereign Prospect. RC drilling followed up on previous AC and RC results and extended the high‐grade gold mineralisation down dip. Highlights include, 8m @ 5.03 g/t Au from 160m, including 2m @ 15.83 g/t Au from 160m and 3m @ 2.86 g/t Au from 165m. An interpretation of recent ground‐magnetic surveys covering Currans Find and Sovereign Prospect shows prominent northeast (NE) and north‐northeast (NNE) trending structures that align with the orientation of high‐grade gold mineralisation at the Taylor’s Reef, Currans North and Red White and Blue prospects.  Based on the ground‐magnetic data, six priority targets have been identified along NE trends in the  eastern part of the survey area and one of these priority targets is located immediately west of the Sovereign gold discovery.  RC drilling is planned west and southwest of the Sovereign discovery to test this target, and beneath previous high‐grade gold intersections.

AusQuest Limited reported that the reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Tangadee Zinc Project in Western Australia has been successfully completed with South32. A total of five widely spaced drill-holes were completed for 1,352m to test down-dip from a large zinc (>1,000ppm Zn) / thallium (>5ppm Tl) soil anomaly that was considered to be the surface expression of potential sediment-hosted zinc mineralisation at depth. Drilling intersected a thick sequence (>200m) of black carbonaceous mudstones containing abundant very fine-grained pyrite (iron sulphide), but no obvious visual signs of significant base metal (zinc) mineralisation. Composite samples were collected over two-metre intervals in every drill-hole and sent to the
Genalysis Intertek Laboratory in Perth for analysis. Assays are expected over the coming weeks, after which an assessment of the drilling results will be completed.

Artemis Resources Limited update on its Pilbara gold projects in Western Australia. 2,500m Carlow Castle Diamond Drilling has commenced as part of Project One Million. It’s primary aims are to expand the mineralised envelope which remains open in multiple directions and lift the central portion of the current resource area to the indicated category. Geophysics program to start at Carlow Castle in mid-October, which will include dipole-dipole IP, Gradient array IP and high-resolution magnetics and radiometrics. Reverse Circulation drilling to start mid-October at Carlow Castle and aims to complete further extensional drilling and test any potential anomalies identified by the concurrent IP survey.

Firm commitments received by Renascor Resources Limited for a placement to raise $3.6 million to fund work streams for Renascor’s. These include Siviour Battery Anode Material Project – containing the world’s second largest reported Proven Reserve of graphite on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The Carnding Gold Project, drill-ready, high-grade, near-surface gold prospects in emerging gold province in Central Gawler Craton, South Australia. Managing Director David Christensen commented, saying ” Despite the uncertainties created by COVID-19, we are confident in the longer term demand for lithium-ion battery anode materials such as the purified spherical graphite we will produce from Siviour. Additionally, we are excited to now be able to move ahead with a greater depth and breadth of exploration and development at Carnding.”

Gold and base metals explorer Carawine Resources Limited has entered into an agreement to include Carawine’s “Eider” tenement in the Coolbro JVA with FMG Resources Pty Ltd. Eider is 35km southwest of Newcrest’s Telfer gold operations and 35km southeast of Metals X’s Nifty copper operations in the highly prospective Paterson province of Western Australia. Fortescue to pay $50,000 cash up front, complete a helicopter-borne electromagnetic (“HeliEM”) survey and 1,000m of drilling on Eider. Carawine Managing Director David Boyd said, “Although at an early exploration stage, Eider has an excellent address and is considered highly prospective. Fortescue have agreed to complete an airborne geophysical survey and drilling program before they can earn an interest in the tenements, thereby providing a commitment to exploring the tenement along with our other Coolbro JVA tenements.”

 

 

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Morning News Bites – September 17

Morning News Bites for September 17. The ASX has opened weaker as Fortescue, Commonwealth Bank and Afterpay weigh on the index, Victoria reports lowest COVID-19 cases in 2 months as NSW eases border restrictions for regional communities. 

Mincor’s Board approves development of the Kambalda Nickel Operations. The announcement of a Final Investment Decision for the planned re-commencement of nickel mining at Kambalda by Mincor is supported by a Credit Approved Terms Sheet which has been agreed with two Tier-1 international banks to provide a secured $55 million project finance facility. The facility, together with the Company’s existing cash reserves of more than $100 million, will allow Mincor to efficiently execute the delivery of its nickel restart plan in line with the Definitive Feasibility Study announced in March 2020. Pit N Portal has 60 calendar days to plan and mobilise for commencement of the contract. There are already several Pit N Portal personnel on site following the commencement of an early works program. Mincor’s Managing Director, David Southam commented, saying “It is a great honour to be announcing a Final Investment Decision which heralds Mincor’s return to nickel mining in Kambalda after a hiatus of some four years. “We are now on the cusp of realising our vision to resume profitable and sustainable nickel sulphide mining in the Kambalda district, and to do so in an environmentally responsible and ethical manner that will see this great nickel province return to the forefront of Class-1 nickel production globally.”

Macarthur Minerals Limited informed shareholders that Fe Limited has elected not to earn-in on a 25% Stage 1 Interest in Macarthur Lithium Pty Ltd’s gold and lithium tenements in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, pursuant to the Option Agreement executed between the parties in 2019. Following FEL’s decision, the parties have finalised arrangements for the orderly close-out of the joint venture, with effect from 15 September 2020. Cameron McCall, President and Executive Chairman of Macarthur Minerals commented, saying “Macarthur and FEL have enjoyed working with Fe Limited over the last 12 months. Macarthur continues to retain 26,666,667 shares in FEL and the Company wishes FEL well.”

Torian Resources Limited provided an update on its planned drilling program at the Mt Stirling Gold Project. A review of this area has recently been undertaken resulting in a number of historical gold-in-soil anomalies being uncovered. Up to 15,000m drill campaign to commence in the coming days with new Diorite East Prospect on Diorite Block the initial target. Subsequently, Mt Stirling Block drilling to recommence to test the depth and strike of existing Inferred Resource at Mt Stirling (33,900oz @ 1.45 g/t Au) & define extensions to Mt Stirling Well (16,000oz @ 2.01g/t Au). Phase 1 drilling has demonstrated Mt Stirling Project as a potentially large gold system with ore grade Au now intercepted over 100m below previous drilling and
extends over 1,000m strike length. This will be followed by drilling on the Mt Stirling Block and the main section of the Diorite Block where excellent high-grade gold results have been returned from soils and rock chip samples.

Hastings Technology Metals Limited, announced the first set of results from the 2020 Exploration Drilling Program, concentrated in the Fraser’s area. High-grade and shallow intersections from Yangibana’s highest grade deposit extensional drilling and have confirmed the company’s conceptual modelling for a large coherent zone extending from Fraser’s in the south to Bald Hill in the north, a distance of 7-8 kilometres, with efforts to rapidly expand and define mineralisation in the newly interpreted and discovered mineralised zones. High-grade and shallow intersections from extensional drilling included, 4m @ 1.31% from 4m, 4m @ 1.24% from 11m and 5m @ 1.28% from 52m.

New Ni-CuCo targets have been defined and validated at the Carr Boyd Nickel Project for Estrella Resources Limited. A geophysical survey is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks over the newly identified target areas. Carr Boyd was the first magmatic hosted style of nickel deposit discovered and mined in WA. It was discovered an the late 1960’s and produced 202, 110t of ore at an average grade of 1.43% Ni and 0.46% Cu between 1973-1977. Drill testing is set to commence once the geophysical survey is completed and targets defined.

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Morning News Bites – September 16

Morning News Bites for September 16. Australian Nurses Union study finds COVID-19 infections in Australia could be nearly 60,000 more than reported, heavy rain forecast for drought-stricken towns in central Australia and Technology Metals Australia announce a life-of-mine update for their Gabanintha Vanadium Project in WA. 

Technology Metals Australia Limited announced an update of the Gabanintha Vanadium Project located 40km south of Meekatharra in Western Australia, with the life of mine operating schedule extended to 22.5 years. The reserve estimate increased to 39Mt at 0.9% V2O5 – a 32% increase on the DFS Ore Reserve, and the Maiden Southern Tenement Probable Ore Reserve with an estimate of 9.4Mt at 0.97% V2O5 – a very high 98% conversion from the Indicated Mineral Resource estimate. Managing Director Ian Prentice commented, saying “The 22.5 year initial project life is expected to be viewed favourably by prospective Project financiers, strategic partners and key stakeholders.”

A large gold target has been identified just 20km from Hemi discovery at Kairos’ Kangan Project in the Pilbara. A large anomalous gold target has been identified, adjacent to major regional structures identified from new aeromagnetic and soil geochemistry data. This target is one of four gold targets identified at Kangan following a recent Ultrafine soil geochemistry program. Heritage surveys and 5,000m of air-core drilling are planned for October/November at Kangan. The Reverse Circulation (RC) rig has completed eight 8 holes for 1,424m at Fuego to date, intersecting broad zones of sulphides (pyrite) in conglomerates, sandstones and black shale.

Great Northern Minerals Limited announced the receipt of the initial four metre composite results from the Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling programme at their Big Rush Gold Project in Northern Queensland. The drilling at Big Rush totalled 22 RC holes for 3,634 metres spread over approximately 900 metres of strike underneath the southern, central and northern previously mined shallow open pits. Drill hole depths ranged from 110 to 250 metres depth and averaged 165 metres. First assays from the drill program have returned high grade results including, 24m @ 3.90 g/t Au including 8m @ 10.57 g/t Au from 140 metres and 32m @ 3.89 g/t Au including 4m @ 18.97 g/t Au from 76 metres.

Rumble Resources Ltd reported that three phases of target generation have been completed at the Munarra Gully Project. The target generation has delineated multiple high priority RC drill targets at the Amaryllis Au -Cu-Ag Prospect located on the Munarra Gully Project, located some 50km NNE of the town of Cue within the Murchison Goldfields of Western Australia. Rumble has now commenced an RC drill program to test the new geophysical (conductors and magnetic) targets that have potential for large-scale Au–Cu–Ag deposits. Previous high-grade gold drill intercepts include highlights of 5m @ 11.67 g/t Au from 161m and 2m @ 13.45 g/t Au from 92m.

A 5,500 metre aircore (AC) drilling program has been announced for Bryah Resources Limited at various prospects within the company’s Basin Project, located in central Western Australia. The aim of the AC drilling program is to complete testing the large soil geochemical anomaly located at Windalah East, and undertake first pass reconnaissance drilling, primarily for gold-copper, at the Wongawar, Fortnum East and Fiddlers East prospects. The program is expected to take 2-3 weeks to complete. Managing Director Neil Marston said, “This is the most substantial drilling program undertaken by the Company this year, these areas have been carefully identified by the company, with in-depth consideration given to encouraging geological information. The new target areas are all highly prospective for gold and copper.”