OceanaGold resumes New Zealand operations

Australia's stock market was once synonymous with raw materials. Not anymore.

The mining industry is now losing highly skilled professionals as they pursue alternative work.

The company, Australia’s third-biggest copper producer, expects digital-age related technologies to boost demand for the metal.

It also revised its guidance for 2015 down, saying sales and revenues for the year are now expected to be about $48 billion—$1 billion lower than the previous outlook.

The mining giant acknowledged it used a Singapore marketing hub to minimize its tax expenses, but added it is paying its fair share worldwide.

So far, copper prices have failed to react significantly to news of supply disruptions, remaining more responsive to news from China, the world’s largest consumer.

According to environmental scientist Peter Erskine, Australia will be left with a bill running into tens of billions of dollars unless the government starts taking mine rehabilitation seriously.

The company reported a £1.2 million pre-tax loss in the first six months of 2015, widening from the £191,000 loss reported a year earlier.

The company's president, Kelvin Dushnisky, said he expects the imminent sale of six U.S. assets to close before the end of the year.