The heart of Australia's gold industry, Kalgoorlie, once again played home to the remarkable three-day spectacle of Diggers & Dealers 2023, held from August 7 to 9.

With many gold mining companies taking centre stage, the event proved to be a resounding success, reaffirming its status as a cornerstone gathering for the global mining industry.

With over 2,000 delegates in attendance, it was an unparalleled platform for the gold industry to network, knowledge share, and discuss business development opportunities within the broader mining sector.

Key themes explored by gold industry leaders and innovators underscored the sector's commitment to sustainability, collaboration, and progress.

As such, the incredible work gold mining companies are doing in the environment and community spaces was the hot topic at the conference. On day 1, Musgrave Minerals Managing Director Rob Waugh shared updates on an exciting quarter of high-grade gold drill hits, Gold Road Resources Managing Director and CEO Duncan Gibbs discussed his company’s diversity initiatives, and Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia Stuart Mathews

Tuesday morning kicked off with The Gold Industry Group’s biggest Leadership Breakfast to date, featuring more than 180 industry representatives at the iconic Kalgoorlie Town Hall.

There, a panel of key industry leaders, including Evolution Mining Executive Chairman Jake Klein, Northern Star Resources Executive Manager People and Culture Marianne Dravnieks, Westgold Resources Managing Director Wayne Bramwell, Curtin University Future of Work Institute Research Fellow Cheryl Yam and NSW Deputy Chief Scientist Darren Saunders, shared their views on how gold miners can accelerate an industry-wide workplace inclusivity push and how they see the sector evolving over the next 12 months.

Gold Industry Group Chair and Gold Fields Executive Vice President and Group Head of Legal & Compliance Kelly Karter opened the panel by sharing her optimism for the future of the industry.

“Together, along with all of you here today, we form a collective force capable of driving transformative change that will reverberate through the gold industry and beyond,” Ms. Carter said.

The consensus from the panel was that the gold industry should embrace the opportunity to establish a competitive advantage over other commodity miners by having the safest and most inclusive workplaces in the resources sector.

Later that day, Capricorn Metals Executive Chair Mark Clark updated delegates on the Mount Gibson gold mine head of first production in 2024, Ramelius Resources Managing Director Mark Zeptner discussed the company's takeover offer for Musgrave Minerals, AngloGold Ashanti Australia CDO Terry Briggs shared his excitement over the introduction of renewable energy sources at Tropicana, and Regis Resources Managing Director and CEO Jim Beyer reiterated that sustainability was at the core of all the company’s operations.

Wednesday was another jam-packed day - Evolution Mining Executive Chair Jake Klein extended a personal invitation to great people to come and work at Evolution, Northern Star Resources COO Simon Jessop said the company was focused on attracting new people into the gold industry through traineeships, apprenticeships, and graduate programs, Westgold Resources Managing Director Wayne Bramwell discussed the company’s new 82 megawatts of hybrid power stations, and Bellevue Gold Managing Director and CEO Darren Stralow proudly touted the company’s industry-leading target of net zero emissions by 2026.

Event organisers then delivered a remarkable sit-down Gala Dinner on the final night, featuring the annual prestigious awards which were again sponsored by The Perth Mint.

Congratulations to Pilbara Minerals and Allkem, which were crowned Digger of the Year and Dealer of the Year respectively, and Patriot Battery Metals, which took away the Best Emerging Company Award.

A special congratulations to WA School of Mines student Luca Danovaro Hanza, who received the Ray Finlayson Medal for Leadership and Academic Excellence.