Using Australia’s Natural Resources

Question 1

Woodcutters mine (restoration of damaged lands after mining operations cease)

Answer 1

• Located in Batchelor, Northern Territory, Newmont Mining acquired the site and took responsibility of restoring the mine; the company worked with Indigenous consult groups to develop a plan that incorporates the land use preferences of the Warai people
• When soil needed to be excavated from a burrow to cap the former tailings site, the pit was turned into a wetland as it was preferred by traditional owners
• The work was carried out by an Aboriginal owned local contractor; employment in the project was 90% Indigenous.

Question 2

prepare a case study of an important Australia renewable or non-renewable resource, including but not limited to:
- how the resource is found, extracted and/or managed

Answer 2

Aluminium (non-renewable resource)

• The resource is found from bauxite ore in open-pit mines
• It is never found in pure form but is extracted from bauxite, which is composed of diaspore, gibbsite and boehmite. It is treated with sodium hydroxide and purified to recover aluminium oxide. Smelting and electrolysis is used to separate the aluminium and oxygen
• Three quarters of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today as it is durable, infinitely recyclable and indefinitely retains its properties
• It is very important in the construction of aeroplanes and other forms of transport. Aluminium is a good electrical conductor and is often used in electrical transmission lines. It is cheaper than copper and weight for weight is almost twice as good a conductor.