Corinne Unger | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)
Papers by Corinne Unger
Mining in the Asia-Pacific, 2017
The chapter summarises the principal problems associated with current approaches to closure plann... more The chapter summarises the principal problems associated with current approaches to closure planning. Then it discusses the critical relationship between effective mitigation and management of mining legacies and abandoned mines. In the third section, I review global and Australian initiatives on mining legacies. Then, drawing upon global leading practices, I develop a maturity model to guide jurisdictions as they move toward more mature management of abandoned mines. In the fifth section, I present a case study of the abandoned Mount Morgan gold mine in Queensland, Australia. Throughout the chapter, I draw attention both to the importance of fully accounting for liabilities to internalise costs, and to the benefits that can flow to industry, governments and communities when beneficial post-mining land uses are created.
Mineral extraction and processing are temporary land uses that have the potential to create long-... more Mineral extraction and processing are temporary land uses that have the potential to create long-lasting effects on water and land uses. These residual risks must be managed and mitigated, during mining if rehabilitation and closure are to meet community expectations. Previous research highlights features of failure to rehabilitate and close a mine site successfully, however, cases of successful rehabilitation and closure that mitigate residual risks are less well understood. This research reveals what constitutes successful rehabilitation and closure through a lens of 'high reliability' or 'reliability seeking' theory. This uses an alternative, socially constructed, paradigm to show that organisations seeking successful mine rehabilitation and closure apply the five processes of 'high reliability organising' (HRO) (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). We found there is a sixth process, 'designing and planning for long time periods into the future' by undertaking document analysis on four cases of rehabilitation and closurethree in Australia and one overseas. An additional novel observation is the degree to which diverse external stakeholders are engaged in all but one process.
The aim of this research was to provide technical support to an ongoing targeted geochemical inve... more The aim of this research was to provide technical support to an ongoing targeted geochemical investigation at three abandoned mines in the Puno region of Peru. The purpose of the investigation program is to: • characterise mine wastes at abandoned mines to evaluate the potential environmental harm in the context of regional geology • inform management and rehabilitation of these sites as well as to provide baseline data for other mine sites For further information on this action research: Contact person: Mansour Edraki
In Australia, responsibility for abandoned mines can be unclear. With a few exceptions, state and... more In Australia, responsibility for abandoned mines can be unclear. With a few exceptions, state and territory governments have become responsible for abandoned mines on Crown land and private landholders are responsible for abandoned mines on freehold land. Abandoned mines pose risks and opportunities across the full suite of sustainability themes (environmental, human health and safety, socio-economic and community development) after mining ceases. Across Australia, there are more than 50 000 abandoned mines recorded, ranging in size from individual shafts to large polluting open cut mines. Addressing the safety and environmental impacts of these sites, as well as the socio-economic development opportunities of significant rehabilitation projects, requires the implementation of effective policies and programs. Qualitatively defined graded scales or ‘rubrics’ have been used for many years in student assessment and increasingly in the performance assessment of other sectors (Davidson, 2005). While risk-based maturity models have been used for safety prioritisation (Westrum, 1993; Hudson, 2007; DRET, 2008; Hancock, 2010) and evaluation of organisational development (Esteves et al, 2010), this paper is the first to adapt maturity models for the evaluation of abandoned mine rehabilitation programs in Australia. In this paper, we used indicators based on the national policy for abandoned mines to assess the maturity of abandoned mine programs. Fourteen elements of maturity were identified (Unger et al, 2012) under the five chapters of the national policy for abandoned mines (MCMPR and MCA, 2010). Jurisdictions were then evaluated and ranked on their maturity on the basis of information that was web-accessible. Information transparency of abandoned mines policies and programs is in itself one element of the maturity chart. Each jurisdiction in Australia was compared with one another and with a Canadian jurisdiction; the British Columbia (BC) Crown Contaminated Sites Program (CCSP), which represents leading practice (Unger, 2009; Unger et al, 2012). Our research found that in some jurisdictions in Australia there is little or no information on abandoned mine programs or individual abandoned mine sites on government websites, while other jurisdictions provided very detailed program information on planning, funding and implementation. Each jurisdiction in Australia, for which web-based information was available, had some elements where they were more mature than other Australian jurisdictions. For some elements, maturity ranked equivalent to the BC CCSP, but most Australian jurisdictions were less mature. There was only one element where a single Australian jurisdiction ranked higher than the BC program in maturity. Legacy mine policies, programs, priorities and funding information via departmental websites are easier to find in some jurisdictions, indicating progression toward greater transparency and more mature programs. A systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating abandoned mines programs is essential for accountability as it can demonstrate liability reduction over time and continual improvement. The maturity model approach can provide both a measure of progress over time as well as a tool to support the implementation of the national policy for abandoned mines (MCMPR and MCA, 2010)
The AusIMM Bulletin, 2015
Mining in the Asia-Pacific, 2017
The chapter summarises the principal problems associated with current approaches to closure plann... more The chapter summarises the principal problems associated with current approaches to closure planning. Then it discusses the critical relationship between effective mitigation and management of mining legacies and abandoned mines. In the third section, I review global and Australian initiatives on mining legacies. Then, drawing upon global leading practices, I develop a maturity model to guide jurisdictions as they move toward more mature management of abandoned mines. In the fifth section, I present a case study of the abandoned Mount Morgan gold mine in Queensland, Australia. Throughout the chapter, I draw attention both to the importance of fully accounting for liabilities to internalise costs, and to the benefits that can flow to industry, governments and communities when beneficial post-mining land uses are created.
Mineral extraction and processing are temporary land uses that have the potential to create long-... more Mineral extraction and processing are temporary land uses that have the potential to create long-lasting effects on water and land uses. These residual risks must be managed and mitigated, during mining if rehabilitation and closure are to meet community expectations. Previous research highlights features of failure to rehabilitate and close a mine site successfully, however, cases of successful rehabilitation and closure that mitigate residual risks are less well understood. This research reveals what constitutes successful rehabilitation and closure through a lens of 'high reliability' or 'reliability seeking' theory. This uses an alternative, socially constructed, paradigm to show that organisations seeking successful mine rehabilitation and closure apply the five processes of 'high reliability organising' (HRO) (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). We found there is a sixth process, 'designing and planning for long time periods into the future' by undertaking document analysis on four cases of rehabilitation and closurethree in Australia and one overseas. An additional novel observation is the degree to which diverse external stakeholders are engaged in all but one process.
The aim of this research was to provide technical support to an ongoing targeted geochemical inve... more The aim of this research was to provide technical support to an ongoing targeted geochemical investigation at three abandoned mines in the Puno region of Peru. The purpose of the investigation program is to: • characterise mine wastes at abandoned mines to evaluate the potential environmental harm in the context of regional geology • inform management and rehabilitation of these sites as well as to provide baseline data for other mine sites For further information on this action research: Contact person: Mansour Edraki
In Australia, responsibility for abandoned mines can be unclear. With a few exceptions, state and... more In Australia, responsibility for abandoned mines can be unclear. With a few exceptions, state and territory governments have become responsible for abandoned mines on Crown land and private landholders are responsible for abandoned mines on freehold land. Abandoned mines pose risks and opportunities across the full suite of sustainability themes (environmental, human health and safety, socio-economic and community development) after mining ceases. Across Australia, there are more than 50 000 abandoned mines recorded, ranging in size from individual shafts to large polluting open cut mines. Addressing the safety and environmental impacts of these sites, as well as the socio-economic development opportunities of significant rehabilitation projects, requires the implementation of effective policies and programs. Qualitatively defined graded scales or ‘rubrics’ have been used for many years in student assessment and increasingly in the performance assessment of other sectors (Davidson, 2005). While risk-based maturity models have been used for safety prioritisation (Westrum, 1993; Hudson, 2007; DRET, 2008; Hancock, 2010) and evaluation of organisational development (Esteves et al, 2010), this paper is the first to adapt maturity models for the evaluation of abandoned mine rehabilitation programs in Australia. In this paper, we used indicators based on the national policy for abandoned mines to assess the maturity of abandoned mine programs. Fourteen elements of maturity were identified (Unger et al, 2012) under the five chapters of the national policy for abandoned mines (MCMPR and MCA, 2010). Jurisdictions were then evaluated and ranked on their maturity on the basis of information that was web-accessible. Information transparency of abandoned mines policies and programs is in itself one element of the maturity chart. Each jurisdiction in Australia was compared with one another and with a Canadian jurisdiction; the British Columbia (BC) Crown Contaminated Sites Program (CCSP), which represents leading practice (Unger, 2009; Unger et al, 2012). Our research found that in some jurisdictions in Australia there is little or no information on abandoned mine programs or individual abandoned mine sites on government websites, while other jurisdictions provided very detailed program information on planning, funding and implementation. Each jurisdiction in Australia, for which web-based information was available, had some elements where they were more mature than other Australian jurisdictions. For some elements, maturity ranked equivalent to the BC CCSP, but most Australian jurisdictions were less mature. There was only one element where a single Australian jurisdiction ranked higher than the BC program in maturity. Legacy mine policies, programs, priorities and funding information via departmental websites are easier to find in some jurisdictions, indicating progression toward greater transparency and more mature programs. A systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating abandoned mines programs is essential for accountability as it can demonstrate liability reduction over time and continual improvement. The maturity model approach can provide both a measure of progress over time as well as a tool to support the implementation of the national policy for abandoned mines (MCMPR and MCA, 2010)
The AusIMM Bulletin, 2015