The Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME) brings together over 70 leading mining and mining service companies, regional development organisations, State and Commonwealth governments and research partners. Our unique coalition brings scale and coordinated investment into innovative research that addresses the complex challenges underpinning mine closure and relinquishment.
Key challenges for the industry were raised by the 2018 Senate inquiry into Mining Rehabilitation. To address these challenges, CRC TiME was initiated in early 2020 through the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program, providing the ideal vehicle to enable sustained industry, research and community collaboration.
CRC TiME’s path to impact is outlined in the Impact Framework which details five key impact objectives focussed on ensuring that closure is a valued cornerstone for post-mine economies and the mining industry, building enduring benefit for all Australians.
What is a CRC?
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program was established by the Australian Federal Government in 1990 to support Australian industries to solve critical issues, develop new technologies, products and services and compete on the world stage. The program is jointly funded by the Federal Government, industry participants and research organisations.
The global challenge of mine closure
There are very few examples of successful mine closure and relinquishment. This is becoming an increasingly adversarial and complex area, and a critical component of the approvals process for new mines. The challenges are many:
- Large numbers of stakeholders with competing or conflicting ideas of how an economy, ecosystem and community should look at the end of mine
- Inflexible policies and poor integration of individual mine closures into regional strategies
- Regulatory frameworks agreed sometimes decades earlier that no longer serve all interests
- Inadequate consideration of socio-economics when transitioning to post-mine life
- Commodity price fluctuations leading to premature closure, care & maintenance, or abandonment
- Profitable assets turn into long term liabilities creating uncertainty for future investment
The way forward: Collaboration
- Greater certainty
- Sustained prosperity
- Social value
Through CRC TiME, Australia is leading the world to drive transformational change in the mine closure sector, building trust between mining companies, regulators and communities, and fulfilling the vision of the Australian Government’s National Resources Statement:
“To have the world’s most advanced, innovative and successful resources sector which delivers sustained prosperity and social development for all Australians”
Announced in March 2020, a national consortium led by The University of Western Australia and The University of Queensland, secured the original $30 million of funding from the Federal Government, leading to the formation of CRC TiME. CRC TiME brings together 74 partners grouped into five categories who are contributing a further $100 million. Find out more about our Partners.
Funding
CRC TiME represents an investment of over $130 Million over the next 10 years through a combination of cash and in-kind support from our many partners, as well as $29.5 million received through the Australian Governments Cooperative Research Centre Program
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