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The Productivity Gap: Why Australia’s Underground Mines Are Losing Ground
Australian underground hard rock mining has expanded its technical capability significantly over 25 years — yet output per person has declined by approximately one-third while real unit costs have risen roughly 90%. For a representative 2 Mtpa operation, that equates to around A$35 million per annum in additional labour cost. International benchmarking shows the gap is closing as fast-growing jurisdictions strengthen operating discipline. Dr Kate Rubins presents analysis of top-quartile operations across multiple cycles, identifying the four structural levers including operating discipline, mine design, workforce structure and targeted automation that separate sustained performers from the rest.
Benchmark your underground operation's productivity against 25 years of longitudinal data. Identify which of the four structural levers including operating discipline, mine design, workforce structure or targeted automation represent your greatest opportunity, and build a plan to act on them.
