Diggers & Dealers is an annual mining conference held in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. First held in 1992, today it is attended by over 2,500 delegates. As of 2023, a three-day pass to the conference costs $2,250, while a one-day pass costs $1,110.
History Ron Wise was a founder of the annual Diggers & Dealers event in Kalgoorlie.
1992 The annual conference was initiated by Palace Hotel, Kalgoorlie proprietor Geoffrey Stokes in 1992, with the first conference attended by 10 delegates.Diggers & Dealers: Where it all began Mining Plus July 2017
2009 The 2009 conference was held during the Global Recession, with 12,000 jobs having been lost in the Australian mining industry in the previous eight months. Despite this, Western Australian mining recovered much better than most, and the general mood was "upbeat", unlike in the previous year.
2010 The event, usually non-political and mining orientated, was overshadowed by the 2010 Australian federal election, held less than three weeks later. It was dominated by discussion about the unpopular Mineral Resource Rent Tax, newly introduced by the Gillard government, which was seen as disadvantaging the smaller mining companies and favouring the larger ones like BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata. The conferences chairman, Barry Eldridge, predicted the political backlash for the government already before the conference.Diggers and Dealers 2010 - The Song Remains The Same ABC Rural, author: Babs McHugh, published: 2 August 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010Politics on the agenda at Diggers & Dealers mining conference The Australian, published: 31 July 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010 ABC News, published: 2 August 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010
The conference stretches Kalgoorlie's abilities to accommodate all delegates to the extreme. Rooms are often booked out two years in advance, with nightly rates rising by 150% during the conference. Local residents are encouraged to rent out their houses during the event and leave town. A three-bedroom house can fetch several thousand dollars for three days.Kalgoorlie braces for annual Diggers & Dealers goldrush PerthNow 31 July 2010Perfect opportunity to bash mining tax Brisbane Times, published: 2 August 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010
In 2010, the three-day program consisted of presentations by major and minor mining companies, especially gold miners. In 2010, AngloGold Ashanti, through CEO Mark Cutifani, Barrick Gold, through Gary Halverson, President Asia Pacific and Fortescue, represented by CEO Andrew Forrest, were some of the major presenters.
Another outcome of the 2010 conference was the recognition that mining had to lift its profile nationally and to advertise better its record on "job creation, relations with indigenous people and its environmental record".Diggers to create $20m fund to 'sell' the industry The Australian, published: 4 August 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010
After the mining boom Despite a downturn in mining in 2015 the event was still held.
Awards Annually, the conference hands out a number of awards for achievements in the mining industry. Since 1997, the G.J. Stokes Memorial Award, the Digger Award and the Dealer Award are awarded. In 2003, a Media Award was added and in 2007, a Best Emerging Company award. Former award winners include Joseph Gutnick (1997), the only individual to win the Digger Award, and Robert Champion de Crespigny, former CEO of Normandy Mining.Official Diggers & Dealers website: Forum Awards accessed: 26 October 2010
GJ Stokes Memorial award Named after the Diggers & Dealers founder and awarded to a long time servant of the mining industry
1997 - Arvi Parbo
1998 - Ian Burston
1999 - Charles Court
2000 - Roy Woodall
2001 - not awarded
2002 - David Reed
2003 - Trevor Sykes
2004 - Laurence Brodie-Hall
2005 - Peter Newton
2006 - Graeme Smith, George Botica, Barry Paterson & Ron Harken
2007 - Pierre Lassonde
2008 - Owen Hegarty
2009 - Nick Giorgetta
2010 - David Moore
2011 - George Jones
2012 - Geoff Loudon
2013 - Andrew ForrestTwiggy Forest wins Diggers & Dealers gong ABC News 8 August 2013
2014 - Jim Walker
2015 - Mark Cutifani
2016 - Christopher Bonwick
2017 - Jim Askew
2018 - Ron Sayers
2019 - Mark Creasy
2020 - Gina Rinehart
2021 - Steve CoughlanSteve Goughlan Business News
2022 - Tim GoyderWild weather strikes Diggers & Dealers Kalgoorlie Miner 3 August 2022
2023 - Neil WarburtonDiggers & Dealers 2023: Pilbara Minerals wins Digger of the Year Award The West Australian 9 August 2023
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