GSIC Insights
Looking Forward to Diggers & Dealers 2026
In just a couple of weeks, I’ll be making the trip back to Kalgoorlie for the 2026 Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum.
It is always one of the highlights of the Australian mining calendar—not only because of what happens on stage, but because of the conversations taking place throughout the week.
The Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum brings together executives, operators, geologists, investors, suppliers, government representatives and service providers from across the industry.
There will be plenty of discussion around new projects, mergers, investment, exploration and the future of Australian mining. However, some of the most valuable insights often come from the conversations over coffee, between presentations and while catching up with people from across the sector.
Some of the most valuable conversations at Diggers & Dealers never happen on the conference stage.
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LISTENING TO THE INDUSTRY
Understanding where mining is heading
It is always good to catch up with people you have worked alongside over the years, put faces to names and meet people you may previously have only spoken with by phone or online.
What I enjoy most, however, is listening.
Listening to conversations about new developments, changing ownership, operating pressures, labour availability, expanding projects, new processing technology and the practical issues mine operators are dealing with every day.
Those discussions provide a level of context that cannot always be gained from company announcements, presentations or industry reporting alone.
They help build a clearer picture of where the industry is today and, perhaps more importantly, where it may be heading over the next few years.
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THE VALUE OF CONTEXT
Good security advice starts with understanding the business
One of the things I enjoy most about Diggers & Dealers is that the conversations are rarely just about security.
They are about where companies are investing, how operations are changing, what challenges people are experiencing and what the future may look like across the sector.
That matters because good security advice does not start with security. It starts with understanding the business.
Every expansion project, ownership change, new processing facility, workforce shift or change in production can create different operational pressures. Those changes may also alter how people, assets, information and security controls move through an organisation.
The better those changes are understood, the better placed a consultant is to provide practical advice that reflects the realities of mining rather than simply applying a generic model.
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LOOKING AHEAD
More than projects, presentations and announcements
There will naturally be interest in the latest mergers, project announcements, exploration results and development plans across the Goldfields and the wider Australian mining sector.
For Kalgoorlie in particular, it will be interesting to hear how companies are viewing future investment, workforce requirements, infrastructure, operational growth and the longer-term direction of mines across the region.
Those subjects are important in their own right, but they also influence the environment in which organisations manage security, governance and operational risk.
A growing operation faces different pressures from a site moving into care and maintenance. A newly acquired mine may inherit different systems, procedures and organisational cultures. A changing workforce may bring new experience, but it may also create gaps in familiarity, reporting and responsibility.
Understanding those wider developments helps keep security thinking connected to the direction of the industry.
Security does not operate separately from the business.
It changes as the business changes.
Looking forward to catching up
Whether you are attending as an operator, supplier, investor, adviser or simply catching up with colleagues from across the industry, I hope it is a productive few days.
If we happen to cross paths during the week, please do not hesitate to say hello. I am always interested in hearing different perspectives on where the Australian mining industry is heading and the issues organisations are dealing with in practice.
I will also share a few reflections after the event on the themes and conversations that stood out.
Safe travels to everyone making the trip to Kalgoorlie. I look forward to seeing where the conversations take us this year.
— Andy