The mining booms in Australia and Mongolia are the focus of a study tour by 12 senior Mongolian journalists who will visit Australia in June and July under a program organised by the Melbourne-based Asia Pacific Journalism Centre (APJC).

The program, run in partnership with the Mongolian Press Institute and with the support of AusAID’s Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Fellowships program, includes a seminar on social responsibility in mining, training workshops, discussions with mining companies and briefings by non-profit organisations, business and trade experts, indigenous leaders, academics and journalists.

“The program will draw parallels between mining in Mongolia and Australia and help to promote accurate and quality coverage of mining impacts in Mongolia,” APJC director John Wallace said.

A seminar hosted by the Sustainable Mining Institute at the University of Queensland will help the Mongolian journalists to explore the role of mining companies in promoting social, economic and environmental sustainability in their operations.

The seminar and other activities will also investigate distribution of mining sector profits including issues linked to mining taxes and sovereign wealth funds.

The tour includes a visit to Rio Tinto’s NorthParkes gold and copper mine in Parkes, NSW. The visit will assess mining techniques and community programs, noting that Rio Tinto is a significant investor in the huge $6 billion Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper mine in Mongolia’s southern Gobi desert. Oyu Tolgoi is the largest financial undertaking in Mongolia’s history and starts operating in 2013.  

The program will run from June 25 to July 31 in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Parkes.

ENDS
 
For more information contact:

Laura Gilmartin
P. +61393879740
M. +61430993628,
E. laura@apjc.org.au
                                                                                                                 
The Asia Pacific Journalism Centre is an independent not-for-profit news media development organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. Since it was established in 2003, the centre has worked with more than 1000 news media professionals in the Asia Pacific region on programs aimed at promoting quality journalism.