Editor's letter

Welcome to this edition of Mine Australia. 

Progress is a journey, and its path is lined with setbacks. In this issue, we look at some issues and setbacks befalling mining in and around Australia. 

Few will have missed the headlines swirling around Fortescue over recent weeks. We give a summary of events, and the company’s word on the future. Elsewhere, we look at the plans of an Australian company for new phosphate mining in Banaba, Kiribati, with echoes of a project that made the island uninhabitable several decades ago. Where do planning rights lie now? 

After flooding earlier this year, 29metals has taken some time to get back up to speed. We look at the sites, the damage, and the prospects going forward. 

Read on for all this and more.

Matt Farmer, editor