Bravus Mining and Resources recognised as industry leader with prestigious mining award nominations

Bravus Mining and Resources has been recognised as a frontrunner in mine worker welfare and in environmental management as part of the prestigious Queensland Mining Awards (QMA).

Activities at the Carmichael mine near Clermont in central Queensland have been shortlisted for both the Environment Award and the Community, Staff Engagement or Equal Opportunity Award at the QMAs, which recognise industry leaders and innovators across Queensland’s resources sector.

Bravus Mining and Resources Chief Operating Officer Mick Crowe said it was an honour to be named a dual finalist at the QMAs, building on a track record of upholding the highest operational, community and environmental standards at the Carmichael mine.

“From the outset the Carmichael mine has been about creating jobs and economic prosperity for the people of central and north Queensland while producing high-quality export thermal coal that helps power the developing world,” Mr Crowe said.

“We’re proud to have met our commitments to local employment, local procurement, and the environment during construction of the mine and railway, and we’re prouder still to see these benefits continue into operations which are now in their third year.

“So, it’s fitting that Carmichael has earnt recognition as a finalist in award categories that enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of our workers and support positive environmental outcomes.”

Bravus Mining and Resources and E2M Consulting have been named as a finalist in the Environment Award for their innovative use of machine learning and bioacoustics to monitor the calls of the Black-throated Finch. The technology allows for high fidelity tracking of habitat and behaviour and sets a precedent for the conservation of other bird species across the world.

The second category is the Community, Staff Engagement or Equal Opportunity Award, where Bravus Mining and Resources and Sodexo Australia have been shortlisted for their ‘Building a happier and healthier Carmichael community’ initiative. The program was developed to address health and social challenges common to FIFO workers across Queensland and Australia and recorded substantial improvements on key metrics of wellbeing, fitness, and social participation.

Mr Crowe said being recognised as a QMA finalist was down to the expertise and commitment of Bravus Mining and Resources’ diverse community.

“We have more than 1200 workers in our Carmichael Community,” he said.

“We’re also a remote operation, about 300 kilometres from Queensland’s major coastal centres, and 160 kilometres from Clermont, which is our nearest town.

That means the men and women who come to work at Carmichael fly-in and fly-out from Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay or Cairns, or drive-in and drive-out from the Isaac region, and stay at our Labona or Camp 6 accommodation villages while on their swing.

“That also means Carmichael is their home for about half the year and so we’ve put a lot of time and effort into providing a supportive workplace and social environment for our team.

“This is an ongoing program, it’s something we want to add to and carry forward for the 50 years of the mine’s life, but we’re delighted to have created a best practice framework that benefits both our people, and the productivity of our operation.

“Similarly, it’s our partnership with the Queensland scientists and ecologists working on our Black-throated Finch research program that has earned the nomination for the Environment Award.

“Together we’ve used AI to create an automated recogniser that can analyse bioacoustics data and monitor the habitat and behaviour of the birds to a level of detail unheard of before.

“This is a new way of working that can be used by industry, researchers, or governments around the world wanting to learn more about threatened or endangered species in a variety of habitats, and we’re proud to contribute to the broader knowledge base and better land management activities.”

The Queensland Mining Awards will be presented at a Gala Dinner in Mackay on 24 July.

(ENDS)

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