
April 29, 2025
Challenger Gold Limited (ASX: CEL) (“CEL” the “Company”) notes the ASX Release by Austral Gold Limited titled "Austral Gold Provides Update on Casposo Plant Refurbishment" today. The release provides an update on the refurbishment of the Casposo Processing Plant and reports that the refurbishment is on track for the start up of commercial operations in the second half of 2025.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Austral Gold announced that Casposo Plant refurbishment is advancing safely and efficiently across all core workstreams.
- Austral update aligns with second independent plant inspection commissioned by CEL.
- CEL's inspection was undertaken by the same process engineers that completed the Audit of the Casposo Plant and Restart Plan in December 2024.
- Key takeaways from the second inspection report commissioned by CEL are:
- Robust advancement across all key processing areas
- Progress in line with existing refurbishment schedule
- Solid-liquid separation capacity (previously identified as a key risk) appears adequate for the required 1000 TPD capacity
- Sufficient time remaining to complete all maintenance work to meet the commissioning target in Toll Milling Agreement during the second half of 2025.
The Austral update aligns with a second independent plant independent inspection report received by the Company during April 2025. This report was prepared by the leading process group that completed the independent Audit of the Casposo Plant in December 2024 (ASX Release dated 13 December 2024).
Background to Toll Milling
The Company has executed a binding Agreement with Casposo Argentina Mining Limited, the operator of the Casposo Plant located in San Juan Argentina. This Toll Milling Agreement secures processing of a minimum of 450,000t of near surface Hualilan mineralised material over 3 years (ASX Release dated 30 December 2024).
The Casposo Plant, located 170km from Hualilan via established roads, has historically produced over 323,000 ounces of gold and 13.2 million ounces of silver. During operations, the plant achieved average annual production of 40,000 ounces of gold and 1.6 million ounces of silver at recoveries of 90% for gold and 79% for silver. The plant has been on care and maintenance.
The primary objective of this Toll Milling strategy is to capitalise on the current high gold price (above US$3,300/oz) to generate early cash flow. This cashflow will be allocated towards the construction of the standalone Hualilan Gold project including a Flotation with Tails Leach (“FTL”) circuit, a potential Heap Leach (“HL”) pad at Hualilan, and open pit mining fleet.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Challenger Gold, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Mithril Silver and Gold Returns 11.5m @ 8.61 g/t Gold, 57.6 g/t Silver from 44.5 Metres in Hole T2DH25-006 at Target 2 Area, Copalquin Property, Mexico
- New High-Grade Drilling Discovery in First Round of Shallow Drilling -
Mithril Silver and Gold Limited ("Mithril” or the "Company") (TSXV: MSG) (ASX: MTH) is pleased to provide high-grade maiden drill results for a new drill discovery at the Target 2 area in Mithril’s Copalquin silver and gold district property, Durango State, Mexico (Figure 1).
Exploration Progress Update
Drilling at Target 2 (Las Brujas) has returned excellent results, with shallow holes over a 200-metre strike length intersecting very high-grade gold and silver within a broad, near-surface structure. Hole T2DH25-006 returned 11.5m @ 8.61 g/t gold, 57.6 g/t silver from 44.5m, including 3.85m @ 25.33 g/t gold, 128 g/t silver from 46.65m including 0.85m @ 109.5 g/t gold, 325 g/t silver from 46.65m. Follow-up drilling ~80 metres down dip is planned for the next phase.
Momentum Building Across the Copalquin District – Multiple Targets Advancing (Figure 2)
- Exciting Progress at El Peru (Target 2 Extension): The first phase of drilling at El Peru, 400 m east of Las Brujas, has been completed. Multiple shallow drillholes have shown further extension of the mineralized footprint of this emerging high-grade zone (samples dispatched).
- Eastern District Activity Ramps Up: A second exploration camp has been established to support aggressive mapping and target generation at Targets 2 and 3, highlighting our commitment to unlocking the eastern potential of the district.
- High-Potential for additional Discovery at Target 5 – El Apomal: A new target has been defined at the historic El Apomal workings. A 130-metre underground adit has been dewatered, mapped, and sampled (assays pending), and a surface vein has been traced over 300 metres — a compelling new drill target developing.
- District-Scale Potential Confirmed: Over 1,000 metres of vertical relief between Target 2 and Target 5 across 5 km demonstrates the immense scale and structural complexity of the Copalquin district, underscoring its potential to host a large, multi-target mineralized system.
- Resource Expansion Underway at Target 1: Deep drilling at the El Refugio structure continues to intercept the targeted zone, with samples dispatched for assay. Drilling success here will directly contribute to an upcoming Target 1 resource update.
“We’re advancing on multiple fronts across the Copalquin district, with strong drill results at Las Brujas, exciting new potential at El Apomal, and ongoing success at our flagship Target 1 resource area,” said John Skeet, CEO and Managing Director. “The scale of this system is becoming increasingly evident, with multiple mineralized zones across the district. With drilling, mapping, and sampling all in full swing, we’re well positioned to continue building momentum and unlock significant value through discovery and resource growth.”
COPALQUIN GOLD-SILVER DISTRICT, DURANGO STATE, MEXICO
Figure 1 Copalquin District location map, locations of mining and exploration activity and local infrastructure
With 100 historic underground gold-silver mines and workings plus 198 surface workings/pits throughout 70km2 of mining concession area, Copalquin is an entire mining district with high-grade exploration results and a maiden JORC resource. To date there are several target areas in the district with one already hosting a high-grade gold-silver JORC mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Target 1 area (El Refugio-La Soledad)1 and a NI 43-101 Technical Report filed on SEDAR+, supported by a conceptional underground mining study completed on the maiden resource in early 2022 (see ASX announcement 01 March 2022 and metallurgical test work (see ASX Announcement 25 February 2022). There is considerable strike and depth potential to increase the resource at El Refugio and at other target areas across the district, plus the underlying geologic system that is responsible for the widespread gold-silver mineralisation.
With the district-wide gold and silver occurrences and rapid exploration success, it is clear the Copalquin District is developing into another significant gold-silver district like the many other districts in this prolific Sierra Madre Gold-Silver Trend of Mexico.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Mithril Silver and Gold, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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19 May
Exceptional Lithium Intercept Extends Red Mountain Discovery Further to the North
Red Mountain Project in Nevada, USA delivers the highest-grade intersection to date, with lithium now intersected over a 5.6km strike length
Astute Metals NL (ASX: ASE) (“ASE”, “Astute” or “the Company”) is pleased to report assay results from the first of six holes completed as part of its highly successful April 2025 diamond drilling campaign at the 100%-owned Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada, USA. Drill-hole RMDD003 has returned three high- grade intersections of lithium mineralisation:
- 32.4m @ 3,260ppm Li / 1.74% Lithium Carbonate Equivalent1 (LCE) from 57.2m, including an internal high-grade zone grading 8.6m @ 5,060ppm Li / 2.69% LCE from 67.7m;
- 13.8m @ 1,330ppm Li / 0.71% LCE from 39.6m; and
- 23.3m @ 1,610ppm Li / 0.86% LCE from 94.4m to End-of-hole.
Key Highlights
- Outstanding lithium mineralisation returned in assays for diamond drill-hole RMDD003, which intersected:
- 32.4m @ 3,260ppm Li from 57.2m, including 8.6m of ultra high-grade mineralisation @ 5,060ppm Li from 67.7m;
- 13.8m @ 1,330ppm Li from 39.6m; and
- 23.3m @ 1,610ppm Li from 94.4m to end-of-hole
- RMDD003 marks the highest-grade lithium intercept recorded to date at Red Mountain.
- Mineralisation successfully extended 630m north of previous northernmost intersection in hole RMDD002.
- Hole ends in lithium, with mineralisation remaining open down-dip to the east and along strike to the north.
- Assays pending from five other recently completed drill- holes.
To hear CEO Matt Healy discuss this ASX Release click here
The thick zones of lithium mineralisation encountered in the northernmost drill-hole at Red Mountain highlight the increasing scale of the project, with strong lithium mineralisation now intersected in all drill- holes spanning a north-south strike extent of over 5.6km and surface sample geochemistry indicating further potential to the north, south and west of the current drilled extents7, 9 (Figure 3).
Of particular significance in hole RMDD003 is the high-grade nature of the mineralisation. The nearest drill-hole is RMDD002, which intersected 32.1m @ 2,050ppm within a broader 86.9m intersection at 1,470ppm Li from 18.3m. The high-grade zone in RMDD002 has persisted north to RMDD003, and increased in grade significantly to over 3,000ppm lithium.
Assays are pending for the other five holes drilled as part of the April diamond drilling campaign.
Astute Chairman, Tony Leibowitz, said:
“Our 2025 exploration campaign is off to a fantastic start, with exceptional assays returned for the first step-out diamond hole, RMDD003. We are impressed by the thickness and grade of the mineralisation, with the high-grade intercept returned from this hole showing that the previously identified high-grade zone extends for a considerable distance to the north.
“This provides further indication that Red Mountain is unfolding as a lithium discovery of significance in North America. With mineralisation now defined by drilling over a strike length of almost 6 kilometres, we are looking forward to seeing what the remaining drill-holes will deliver. The information obtained from this round of drilling should put us on a clear trajectory to advance Red Mountain towards a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate later this year.”
Background
Located in central-eastern Nevada (Figure 4) adjacent to the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (Route 6), which links the regional mining towns of Ely and Tonopah, the Red Mountain Project was staked by Astute in August 2023.
The Project area has broad mapped tertiary lacustrine (lake) sedimentary rocks known locally as the Horse Camp Formation2. Elsewhere in the state of Nevada, equivalent rocks host large lithium deposits (see Figure 4) such as Lithium Americas’ (NYSE: LAC) 62.1Mt LCE Thacker Pass Project3, American Battery Technology Corporation’s (OTCMKTS: ABML) 15.8Mt LCE Tonopah Flats deposit4 and American Lithium (TSX.V: LI) 9.79Mt LCE TLC Lithium Project5.
Astute has completed substantial surface sampling campaigns at Red Mountain, which indicate widespread lithium anomalism in soils and confirmed lithium mineralisation in bedrock with some exceptional grades of up to 4,150ppm Li2,8 (Figure 3).
A total of 13 RC and diamond drill holes have been drilled at the project for a combined 1,944m, prior to this current drilling program. These campaigns were highly successful, intersecting strong lithium mineralisation in every hole9.
Scoping leachability testwork on mineralised material from Red Mountain indicates high leachability of lithium of up to 98%, varying with temperature, acid strength and leaching duration, and proof of concept beneficiation test-work has indicated the potential to upgrade the Red Mountain mineralisation10,11.
Figure 1. RMDD003 interpretative cross-section, lithium geochemistry and (25-35m off-section) rock chip samples
Results
Hole RMDD003 successfully intersected three zones of lithium mineralised clay-bearing mudstones and sandstone, separated by narrow zones of unmineralised rocks (Figure 1). The intersections are as follows:
- 13.8m @ 1,330ppm Li / 0.71% LCE from 39.6m to 53.4m;
- 32.4m @ 3,260ppm Li / 1.74% LCE from 57.2m to 89.6m; and
- 23.3m @ 1,610ppm Li / 0.86% LCE from 94.4m to End-of-hole (117.7m).
The best grades were developed in the most clay-rich zones (Figure 2). An internal very high-grade zone of 8.6m returned a grade of 5,060ppm Li, with a maximum single sample grade of 5,660ppm Li from 69.2-70.7m (227-232ft), which is the drill sample with the highest lithium grade achieved to date at the project.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Astute Metals NL, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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15 May
EL2780 Award – New Targets from Airborne MT
Tolu Minerals Limited (“Tolu”) is pleased to announce the granting of its Ipi River tenement EL 2780 (Figure 1) covering 395.56 km2 of highly prospective copper-gold mineralisation. The historically discovered Ipi River porphyry deposit within EL 2780, located 55 km northwest of the Tolukuma gold mine is one of several under-explored porphyry style Cu-Au-Mo systems with epithermal Au overprint within Tolu’s exploration portfolio.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Ipi River tenement EL2780 granted by the Mineral Resource Authority
- Preliminary interpretation of Airborne MT imagery indicates five previously unknown copper-gold targets that require further exploration and drill testing
- The newly advanced Airborne MT survey provides electrical resistivity imaging of the top 1km to define geological targets and structures related to copper-gold mineralisation, as well as magnetic data to assist in the exploration process
- Ipi River Porphyry System represents a historically under-explored Cu-Au-Mo system where previous rock sampling results returned up to 10.10% copper and 167g/t gold
- Douglas Kirwin, renowned porphyry and epithermal specialist, is appointed to the Advisory Board
Iain Macpherson, MD & CEO of Tolu Minerals Ltd. said:
“I’m pleased to report the progression of our exploration strategy with the award of Exploration License EL 2780 consisting of highly prospective ground within the Ipi River tenement. This award, coupled with our recent and historical exploration programmes at Ipi River, reinforces Tolu’s position as an emerging, important explorer and operator in what is rapidly becoming one of the great gold/copper provinces of the world.
Recently flown Airborne MT preliminary imagery reinforces historical exploration data and indicates a number of porphyry or intrusive related copper-gold targets. The tenement also includes historical copper-gold-molybdenum, late-stage epithermal gold, and peripheral unexplored Au targets. This latest addition to our tenement portfolio allows us to proceed with our next stage of exploration on a more detailed evaluation of the Airborne MT results and target areas.
The award of the Ipi River exploration license is a significant addition to Tolu’s highly prospective exploration and development portfolio that provides a number of compelling targets and potential for further major discoveries.
In line with the Company’s vision to reveal the porphyry and epithermal deposit potential at Tolukuma, Mt Penck and now Ipi River, the appointment of Doug Kirwin to Tolu’s Advisory Board is a testament to the Company’s broader commitment to defining a substantial resource within Tolu’s exploration targets, further to the re-start of the Tolukuma Gold-Silver Mine.”
Chris Muller, Tolu’s Executive Group Geologist commented that “the continuous progress towards growing Tolu’s exploration portfolio with high potential tenements has reinforced my view that Tolu is among the most exciting growth companies in one of the great underdeveloped and underexplored gold mining provinces on the planet.”
The advanced Airborne Magneto Telluric (“Airborne MT” or “MT”) survey was flown over the Eastern 209km2 of the EL to help in identifying a new generation of geophysical targets related to gold and copper-lead-zinc mineralisation for ground follow-up and drilling.
Airborne MT is an advanced geophysical technology providing high-resolution, deep resistivity/conductivity 3D mapping to over 1km depth. Final data from the recently completed airborne MT survey flown over the known Ipi River porphyry and Mt. Yule “Bulls- eye” magnetic porphyry gold-copper systems have diagnostic sub-surface conductivity, resistivity and magnetic signatures that are calibrations for identifying similar integrated anomalies.
An additional five, previously unexplored discrete geophysical target areas, have already been identified, proving the technique to be a cost-effective compliment to historical exploration results. A more detailed desktop review of historical exploration and airborne geophysics will now be completed ahead of fieldwork on ground.
Target mineralisation within the tenement includes an extremely intense and large 6km x 6km dipolar “Bulls-eye” magnetic anomaly (Figure 2) at Mt. Yule (IPI06), located at a major structural intersection of the NE-trending Yule Transfer Structure and orthogonal structure related to a deep-set high electrical resistivity trend (Figure 3).
The IPI06 occurs as an exceptionally high magnetic signature (>1,730nT dipolar variation) and geologically related to a diorite/monzonite intrusive. The magnetic characteristics are like that of the Indonesia Grasberg monzodiorite and Ertsberg diorite Cu-Au-Ag mineral deposits, located on the Western half of New Guinea island1.
Figure 1: Location and Regional Geology of Ipi River EL2780 and Tolukuma Tenements
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Tolu Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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09 May
Buffett Hands Over Reins, What’s Next for Berkshire’s Capital Strategy?
Legendary investor Warren Buffett is stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A,NYSE:BRK.B) after six decades at the helm — but he's not quite ready to retire.
In a media release on Monday (May 5), Berkshire said its board of directors has unanimously voted to appoint Greg Abel, vice chairman, non-insurance operations, as president and CEO come January 2026.
Buffett, who has been CEO of Berkshire since 1970, will remain chairman of the company's board of directors.
He confirmed Abel as his successor in 2021, and as market watchers reflect back on Buffett's long career there's also keen interest about where Abel will lead Berkshire in the future.
What is Buffett's strategy?
Buffett took control of Berkshire in 1965, back when the company was a struggling textile manufacturer.
In a 2010 letter to shareholders, he recounted his experience in those early days:
"Berkshire was then only in textiles, where it had in the previous decade lost significant money. The dumbest thing I could have done was to pursue 'opportunities' to improve and expand the existing textile operation – so for years that’s exactly what I did. And then, in a final burst of brilliance, I went out and bought another textile company. Aaaaaaargh! Eventually I came to my senses, heading first into insurance and then into other industries."
Many people have tried to explain Buffett's success in recent years. A Financial Times article titled “How Buffet Did It” notes that his strategy is “more than great stock picks and insurance premiums.”
An older paper called "Buffett’s Alpha" suggests that his exposure to low-risk, cheap and high-quality stocks is key.
“(He) has boosted his returns by using leverage, and that he has stuck to a good strategy for a very long time period, surviving rough periods where others might have been forced into a fire sale or a career shift,” authors Andrea Frazzini, David Kabiller and Lasse Heje Pedersen state in the paper.
"We estimate that Buffett applies a leverage of about 1.7-to-1, boosting both his risk and excess return in that proportion. Thus, his many accomplishments include having the conviction, wherewithal, and skill to operate with leverage and significant risk over a number of decades," they also note.
Who is Buffett's successor?
Abel has been with Berkshire since 2000, when the firm bought MidAmerican, an energy company he had been running. He joined the board as vice chairman, non-insurance operations, in 2018.
MidAmerican was renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), with Abel serving as its CEO from 2008 to 2018. He was still the company’s chair at the time of this writing. At both MidAmerican and Berkshire, Abel was mentored by David Sokol, who seemed a likely successor to Buffett until he resigned from Berkshire in 2011.
Abel was named vice chairman in 2018 along with Ajit Jain. In a 2014 letter to shareholders, Buffett’s longtime right-hand man, Charlie Munger, who passed away in 2023, wrote about the two as potential successors.
"Ajit Jain and Greg Abel are proven performers who would probably be under-described as 'world-class.' 'World-leading' would be the description I would choose," said Munger.
"In some important ways, each is a better business executive than Buffett."
Buffett has also spoken highly of Abel, saying in 2023, "Greg understands capital allocation as well as I do. That’s lucky for us. He will make those decisions, I think, very much in the same framework as I would make them. We have laid out that framework now for 30 years."
Berkshire's path forward under Abel
Buffett's words indicate that he sees Berkshire and Abel following the framework he has laid out.
Of course, there may be some evolution. Morningstar analyst Gregg Warren believes that the "groundwork for a successful transition" at Berkshire has been in place for decades.
He also notes that Buffett and Munger were skilled at acquiring businesses that were a good cultural fit.
“We expect this to continue, believing that Berkshire’s culture of management autonomy and entrepreneurship has become institutionalized," Warren explains in a recent article.
"However, the new managers will probably work with a slightly different opportunity set, and we believe they will evolve Berkshire from what has historically been a reinvestment machine into one that is more focused on returning capital to shareholders, which is what we would expect of a company of this size with limited investment opportunities.”
Berkshire currently doesn’t pay a dividend, a point Warren highlights. This principle is because of Buffett’s belief that retained earnings should yield greater value than cash payouts.
Warren said this may change after Abel takes over, underlining that issuing a dividend could help Berkshire retain shareholders who may consider selling once Buffett is no longer at the helm.
Berkshire's recent activities include diversification of its portfolio via strategic acquisitions and investments.
In January 2025, Forest River Bus & Van, a Berkshire subsidiary, announced its acquisition of L.A. West Coaches to enhance its product portfolio in the luxury transportation market.
“This partnership represents a shared commitment to excellence and innovation,” said Douglas Wright, group general nanager of Forest River Bus & Van. “L.A. West Coaches’ proven expertise and dedication to quality align with our values, and we look forward to collaborating to expand our product range.”
BHE is also currently exploring the production of lithium carbonate and other minerals from its geothermal power plants in California's Imperial Valley, aligning with the company's interest in renewable energy and sustainability.
BHE Renewables publicized a joint venture with Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) in June 2024, saying it would be useful for the demonstration and deployment of TerraLithium’s direct lithium extraction.
Occidental is the owner of TerraLithium, a company that provides a technology platform for extracting lithium from geothermal and other brines to produce ultra-pure battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate.
Once the demonstration is successful, BHE Renewables plans to build, own and operate commercial lithium production facilities in California’s Imperial Valley. The joint venture also plans to license the technology and develop commercial lithium production facilities outside the Imperial Valley.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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09 May
Ada Ann 1m drilling results confirm high-grade gold, up to 26g/t Au
Forrestania Resources Limited (ASX:FRS) (“FRS” or “the Company) is pleased to confirm the 1m results from the second phase of drilling at the Ada Ann prospect at the Bonnie Vale Project, near Coolgardie, in Western Australia’s prolific Eastern Goldfields.
Highlights:
- 1m drilling results from Ada Ann confirm high grade, including:
- AARC0029 – 7m @ 4.3g/t Au (from 72m), including 1m @ 25.6g/t Au
- AARC0028 – 3m @ 7.8g/t Au (from 74m), including 1m @ 22.2g/t Au
- AARC0024 – 3m @ 5.9g/t Au (from 82m), including 1m @ 16g/t Au and 2m @ 3.6g/t Au (from 70m)
- Mineralisation footprint extended ~60m south & ~30m north of historic mineralisation.
- Mineralisation remains open at depth and along strike in both directions, with the strike of Au mineralisation increased to ~310m.
- Significant FRS results from phase 1 drilling1 at Ada Ann include:
- AARC0002 – 2m @ 10.7g/t Au (from 62m), including 1m @ 21g/t Au
- AARC0006 – 7m @ 2.1g/t Au (from 34m), including 1m @ 7.3g/t Au
- AARC0020 – 6m @ 1.6g/t Au (from 62m), including 1m @ 5.8g/t Au
- Historic drilling results (previously released1) from Ada Ann include:
- AA28 – 4m @ 12.8g/t Au (from 25m)
- BR19 – 16m @ 2.6g/t Au (from 24m)
- AA05 – 6m @ 6.5g/t Au (from 16m)
Having already defined strong, consistent, high-grade Au results from the maiden drilling programme at Ada Ann, the Company is pleased to report continued exploration success with further high-grade Au drilling results from the Company’s phase 2 drilling programme.
Forrestania Resources’ Chairman John Hannaford commented:
“These 1m results from Ada Ann are highly significant, with grades up to 26g/t Au, underlining the high-grade potential of the system. Pleasingly, we are seeing some thickening of the mineralised zones at depth. The drill programme extended the known mineralised zones to the north and south and the prospect continues to remain open in all directions. We look forward to coming back to drilling at the Bonnie Vale project later in the year.”
Figure 1. Forrestania Resource’s Bonnie Vale Project (E15/1632 & E15/1534) is in close proximity to major gold mines and deposits. Map includes simplified geological interpretation with WA Government magnetics. ASX: EVN Mungari lies ~5km to the east of the Bonnie Vale Project area. (ASX: EVN Mungari mine life taken from ASX: EVN Mungari mine life extended to 15 years - 5th June 2023; Mungari Mineral resource estimate figure of 5.9Moz & Rayjax Ore Reserve taken from ASX: EVN Mungari Mineral Resource & Ore Statement as at 31st December 2023 - 14th February 2024; ASX: FML Bonnie Vale mineral resource update, 26th September 2023.)
Ada Ann – Phase 2 drilling programme
The Company has recently received the 1m Au assay results from its phase 2 drilling programme (14 RC holes for 1017m) at the Ada Ann prospect. The drilling was designed to follow up on the results from phase 1 and to increase the mineralisation footprint to the north, south and at depth.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Forrestania Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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08 May
Voting Verdict: What Labor’s Win Means for Markets, Mining and Australia’s Economic Future
Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese made headlines after being re-elected as Australian prime minister in a landslide vote, becoming the first in over two decades to hold a second consecutive term.
The Guardian's latest count shows results from 140 out of 150 parliamentary seats, with Albanese holding 90 seats and opposition leader Peter Dutton securing 40. At least 76 seats are needed to win.
Experts have attributed Albanese’s victory to various factors, including policy shifts, environmental reforms and potential global trade disruptions following US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
"Today, the Australian people have voted for Australian values: for fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all; for the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need," a BBC article quotes Albanese as saying.
Albanese's edge over Dutton and opposition
Despite his overwhelming win, some see Albanese's victory was a surprise following his performance in 2024, when the Australian economy was reported to have grown weak and the federal budget was seen to be in deficit.
The Brisbane Times published an “Albanese report card” early in 2025 to review the prime minister’s accomplishments, saying that while it had been a "grim year," it wasn't time to write him off just yet.
Among other initiatives, the article mentions a significant policy shift to modify previously legislated stage three tax cuts, which aimed to provide greater benefits to low- and middle-income earners.
It’s safe to say that these efforts enhanced Albanese's appeal to a broader voter base, as did other recent efforts, such as a AU$1.3 billion early education fund to support childcare services and the "Help to Buy" scheme, which allotted AU$5.6 billion in federal equity to assist first-time homebuyers.
During his campaign, he vowed to lead more initiatives for the people, including a housing accord to construct 1.2 million new homes by 2030. Labor also proposed to reduce the lowest marginal tax rate from 16 to 14 percent over two years starting in July 2026, providing annual savings of up to AU$536 for low- and middle-income earners.
In relation to mining and resources, the Albanese government said it would establish a critical minerals strategic reserve upon re-election, pledging an initial investment of A$1.2 billion.
Dutton’s defeat has generally been linked to one thing: he is seen by many as “Australia’s Trump.”
A separate story by the BBC tackles this viewpoint, saying that Dutton’s hard-line conservatism and support for controversial immigration policies led to the comparison. The opposition candidate lost in his own hometown of Moreton Bay, Queensland, where a voter said that they “know him and don’t want him.”
Proposed policies by Dutton include a nuclear push, where he advocated for the construction of nuclear reactors at sites of decommissioned coal-fired power stations in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
The Australia Institute said this would cost renewable jobs, adding that Australia Institute polling has found that fewer than one in 20 Australians (4 percent) are prepared to pay a nuclear premium.
The BBC adds in its article that Dutton had promised to cut approximately 40,000 public sector jobs, a move that reminded voters of billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency.
Mining industry reacts to Albanese's election win
Mining industry participants have had mixed reactions to Albanese's win.
The Minerals Council of Australia has raised questions about the strategic critical minerals reserve from the start, with CEO Tania Constable publishing a piece indicating that it may not be the best approach.
She recommends that Australia focus on fundamentals that will give it back an edge over other mining nations.
“That means lower energy prices, a windback of draconian industrial relations laws, and faster environmental approval times," her statement reads. The council also cites concerns regarding Labor’s proposed environmental reforms, especially in terms of investment barriers and regulatory delays.
Mining finance expert Melissa Johnson has a more favourable view of the reserve, noting that it could bridge the gap between discovery and commercialisation, facilitating the development of critical minerals.
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, CEO of Hancock Prospecting, noted that Labor should “carefully consider” its policies and encouraged the Liberal Party to "learn from the loss and rebuild."
She mentioned a recent trip to the US, during which she heard from parents with young children who were financially struggling to cope. According to Rinehart, many were shifting toward the Republican Party.
“Why are Americans getting it, and we aren’t?” she said, but still ended her statement on a positive note: “Let’s use this time to build, to enlarge the foundations of common sense, rationale and truth.”
For his part, Fortescue (ASX:FMG,OTCQX:FSUMF) founder and Executive Chair Andrew Forrest seems happy with Albanese’s win, saying he looks forward to working with the prime minister on addressing the energy transition.
“The (federal) Government’s commitments — including the Future Made in Australia plan, the Capacity Investment Scheme, the Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive and the Green Iron Fund — provide a strong foundation for a green energy future,” Australian Mining quotes Forrest as saying after the election.
The news outlet also looks at the reaction from Warren Pearce, chief executive of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, who commented on the critical minerals production tax incentive (CMPTI) and planned strategic critical minerals reserve. According to Pearce, the CMPTI will “help levelthe playing field with global competitors and provide the certainty investors need to commit to major downstream processing projects in Australia.”
He regards the AU$1.2 billion strategic critical minerals reserve as a “crucial national investment” in the security of future supply chains for domestic industries and international allies.
Dr. Sarah Mitchell of the Australian Resources Institute has also commented on the Future Made in Australia initiative, describing it as a comprehensive attempt to leverage Australia's resources for long-term economic benefits.
Australia's mining sector under Albanese
Looking at Labor's plans and promises and the current global mining landscape, resource industry experts have made various predictions as to what could come next for Australia.
A Bloomberg round-up of analysts' opinions suggests that policy consistency is “likely to bolster confidence in the mining sector, encouraging both domestic and foreign investments.”
Still, some remain skeptical, especially given recent global trade tensions.
Gilbert + Tobin wrote in a 2024 review of the mining space that “as China's supply chain strategies evolve, Australia's mineral exports may face fluctuations, impacting investment flows.”
In terms of green energy and renewables, economists like Mike Dockery from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre have questioned Australia's ability to compete with countries like China in low-cost manufacturing.
Amid all of these questions, the fact is that uncertainty remains high, and Australians have yet to see which promises will be kept and which predictions will turn out to be true.
“The domestic economy turned a corner at the end of 2024, but now the outlook is much more uncertain,” Dr. Luke Hartigan of the University of Sydney's School of Economics said in a federal election analysis.
“The real questions will be how well the political parties can show they’re listening, and how well can they answer key questions about giving all Australians a future of opportunity and a good life where they have access to the things we value,” noted Dr. Kate Harrison Brennan, director of the Sydney Policy Lab at the University of Sydney.
“These include things such as community, care, a place to call home, meaningful work, reliable and free health care, quality education, and nature conservation.”
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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