CSRM researchers focus on a wide range of social and community issues and also lead and participate in research collaborations with industry, governments, civil society, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and inter-governmental organisations in order to build knowledge for practical application.
CSRM's researchers have a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and are committed to collaborating with researchers and professionals across disciplinary boundaries. Current research themes include:
Social aspects of mine closure
CSRM undertakes people focused mine closure research to: better understand how the social dimensions of mine closure are considered, understood and managed; identify strategies for improving post-mining futures forcommunities and; drive the integration of social dimensions into mine planning.
Learn more about our work on the social aspects of mine closure
Mining and Indigenous Peoples
CSRM researchers have extensive experience on projects which aim to understand the range of issues facing Indigenous peoples in mining contexts in Australia, Asia, North and South America, the Pacific and the Arctic.
Learn more about our work on mining and indigenous peoples
Justice in the energy transition
CSRM researchers are working to understand and highlight the risks many communities are facing and how the idea of ‘just transition’ will play out on the ground.
Learn more about our work on the energy transition
Mining sector governance and policy
CSRM researchers are actively engaged in safeguarding the legal and approval processes governing mining. They underkate international review processes to ensure improvements in industry policy and practice literature and contribute to the development of leading practice guidelines.
Learn more about our work in mining sector governance and policy
ARC Discovery Project
Beyond the resource curse: redistribution and resource-led development
BHP Foundation funded
Community-Smart Consultation & Consent Project (CSCC)
A 5-year initiative implemented by Landesa, RESOLVE, Conservation International and CSRM, funded by the BHP Foundation
The project aims to improve, and ‘close the gap’, on effective governance of natural resources.
See more information on the CSCC project
ARC Linkage Projects
Industrial disasters, disclosure deficits: Can transparency level the playing field?
This is a 3-year project involving CSRM, Anglo American, Newcrest, the University of British Columbia in Canada, and the University of the Free State in South Africa. The project aims to drive transformational change in the public disclosure requirements of mine tailings information.
See more information on this ARC project
Public lessons, private interests: Do inquiries promote industry change?
This is a 3-year project involving CSRM, the Australian national university, Newmont and RESOLVE. The project investigates the usefulness of independent inquiries as a means of responding to major issues and community grievances for different stakeholder groups. It also draws on lessons learned in conventional government led commissions of inquiry.
Social Aspects of Mine Closure Research Consortium
The Social Aspects of Mine Closure Research Consortium was a three-year multi-party, industry-university research collaboration. The consortium was established in 2019 to conduct research that challenged accepted industry norms and practices, and demanded new approaches that placed people at the centre of mine closure.
Mining Resettlement
MiningResettlement.org is an initiative of The University of Queensland's Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining. It is a multi-party, industry-university research collaboration on mining and resettlement in order to build knowledge for practical application.