163 Recognizing the significance of this challenge, in 2020 the Australian Government provided significant funding under its flagship Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program to enable the establishment of the CRC for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME). The Centre is a partnership of over 80 mining and supply chain companies, leading Australian research institutions, government bodies, and organizations representing natural resources management groups, Indigenous peoples and regional communities. The Centre is delivering research, translation and capability development through six inter-linked programs focused on Regional Economic Development; Risk, Evaluation and Planning; Operational Solutions and Data Integration; Forecasting and Scale; Education and Training and Cross-Cutting themes. The Centre is funded through to 2030, In this paper we provide an overview of key research findings to date and also highlight emerging issues and challenges. We acknowledge that some of the work we refer to is specific to the Australian context, and that not all findings will be transferable to countries that have divergent histories, varying levels of economic development, and/or operate under different governance arrangements. However, we argue that there is a global need and there are core insights which do have broader applicability to address four interrelated challenges: (1) creating a supportive regulatory and policy environment that removes unnecessary barriers to repurposing; (2) enabling mining core business to facilitate appropriate land stewardship beyond the completion of mining; (3) ensuring that the voices of local communities and Indigenous people are heard, involved in decision making and derive value from repurposing (4) developing methodologies for identifying and assessing viable options for post-mining land use, repurposing and ongoing governance. A COMPLEX CHALLENGE As global decarbonization accelerates, increased demand for Australia’s critical minerals presents enormous economic opportunity. At the same time, the scale and speed of likely development could present social, economic, environmental and governance challenges. Our research shows that unless these challenges are managed well, they will accumulate over mine life. A driving factor is that mine closure is usually seen as a proponent-led responsibility, focused largely on return of the site to prior state. This limits dialogue and engagement on what is possible – and how risks, opportunities and impacts are understood and managed. This narrow focus also does not recognize interconnected benefits, effects and impacts over mine life, creating uncertainty for all – including industry. Our research also shows that coordinated, strategic and ongoing planning and action at a regional scale is more likely to support improved long-term outcomes (Measham et al. 2024). Effects are often cumulative and interconnected, especially when more than one mine operates in a region, meaning that a whole-of-community response is required. While recognition of cumulative environmental effects has advanced, there also needs to be a stronger focus on understanding and managing cumulative cultural, social and economic effects over the mine life. Recognizing this, research through CRC TiME has led to development of a Regional Cumulative Effects and Management Framework, and associated process roadmap, assessment of governance models that may be suitable for different regions, case studies and key questions
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