Freeport Indonesia to process 400,000t of copper concentrate at new smelter
Earlier this month, Freeport obtained an export permit for the rest of the year from the government.
Copperchem, a mining company in north-west Queensland is converting its workforce to include only local employees for its mine in Cloncurry, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The stated aim of the initiative is to reduce costs. At the start of 2013, the company was flying in and out 70 workers from other areas of Australia.
A spokesman for Copperchem said on Tuesday that the company will provide training to locals and management hopes to hire between 40 and 50 people living in the Cloncurry area.
Ore is currently mined by Copperchem in three open pits at a rate of approximately 700,000 tonnes per year.