Critical Minerals, Market Realities, and Intelligent Automation Headlined at Perth's Premier Dual Resource Conference

Metals and Mining Review | Wednesday, June 03, 2026

PERTH, Australia —  Against a backdrop of shifting resource nationalism, soaring commodity stress, and the rapid deployment of connected automation, the Future of Mining Australia and MiningNews Select conferences will take place concurrently at Crown Perth on 16 17 June 2026. This dual conference stands as the industry’s primary staging ground for resolving the stark operational, economic, and geopolitical pressures facing modern resource companies.

The 2026 conference is set to deliver its most influential assembly to date. Over 2,000 industry champions will gather, driven by a powerhouse delegation of more than 500 elite mining executives and over 100 leading speakers who are actively rewriting the rules of extraction, capital allocation, and asset deployment.

"In this current era of geopolitical uncertainty, platforms like the Future of Mining and MiningNews Select are absolutely vital," said Lindsay Santos, Group Head of Events. "We provide mining leaders and practitioners with the hard insights required to build direct, real-world strategies and make high stakes decisions. Over these two days, we will confront how decarbonisation is non-negotiable for true sustainability, map the precise role of technology and innovation over the coming years, and ensure the next generation of leaders is directly embedded in this critical conversation."

Rather than focusing on theoretical ideals, the multi-tiered agenda mirrors the raw frontline realities of the sector, structured around four primary tracks: Technology & Innovation, Energy Transition, Sustainability, and Future Workforce: Skills & Safety.

The speaker lineup features heavyweights commanding major operations, capital funds, and state policy:

• Hon David Michael, Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Finance; Electoral Affairs; Goldfields-Esperance, Government of Western Australia

• Cath Bozanich, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sandfire • Christopher B. Johnstone, Partner & Chair of the Defense & National Security Practice, The Asia Group

• Jason Crusan, CEO, AROSE

• Felicity Gooding, Executive Director and Group CFO, Vulcan Energy

• Geeta Thakorlal, Vice President Technology, BHP

• Luca Giacovazzi, CEO, Wyloo

Core Pillars & High-Impact Segments

• Geopolitical Realities & Defense Metals: High-level strategic sessions will dissect the pivot from the general energy transition to national security, focusing heavily on G7 policy gaps, mid-stream processing bottlenecks dominated by BRICS nations, and surging prices for vital defense-related metals like antimony, tin, tungsten, and rare earths.

• The Intelligent Mine & Connected Automation: Transitioning beyond siloed technology, dedicated tracks will focus on how integrated, data-driven systems optimize asset integrity, enhance reliability, and deliver long-term value across the entire mining value chain.

• Global Policy & Sovereignty Insights: Regulators and sovereign leaders will deliver unvarnished breakdowns of incoming policy reforms, exploration pipelines, and fast-moving investment frameworks across vital mining jurisdictions, including Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

• The Start-Up Pitch Battle: A high-velocity crucible showcasing global start-ups pitching disruptive, field-ready technologies. Winners are decided live through a combination of veteran judges and real-time audience voting.

• The Leaders Roundtable: Moderated in partnership with Frost & Sullivan, this closed-door assembly forces senior leadership to debate raw operational priorities, including productivity baselines, practical AI implementation, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

• The Gen-Z Spotlight: Anchoring the Future Workforce stream, this proactive initiative addresses the generational talent gap and evolving organizational effectiveness through intense, collaborative sessions engineered to fast-track skills development and forge direct ties between emerging leaders and the sector’s established vanguard.

The co-located conferences are backed by the extensive editorial expertise of Aspermont’s flagship sector publications, including Mining Magazine, Australia’s Mining Monthly, MiningNews.net, and Energy News Bulletin.

For executive registration, complete agenda tracks, and media accreditation, visit the official Future of Mining hub. 

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