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Critical minerals, supply chain security and the stubborn gap between capital and construction will dominate the International Mining and Resources Conference + Expo (IMARC) when it opens at ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour, on 27 October 2026. Running to 29 October, the three day gathering is expected to draw more than 12,000 mining executives, investors, ministers, diplomats and industry leaders.
The New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns, NSW Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos and Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King deliver the opening addresses. The conference theme of moving from strategy to execution sets the tone. Governments and industry have produced plenty of strategies and announced plenty of commitments and the test now is whether those can be turned into commercially viable projects.
NSW has used the opening to stake its claim as a world leader in the sector. The Minns Labor Government has released its Critical Minerals Skills Plan, setting out how it intends to build the workforce the industry will need. Houssos and King will also launch the NextGenMIN Hub, a $28 million research collaboration between UNSW, governments and industry, backed by BHP and Epiroc. The hub will focus on zero waste, zero emissions and zero human entry mining.
Geopolitics runs through the first day. Gracelin Baskaran, who directs the Critical Minerals Security Program at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, examines how industrial policy and the contest for strategic supply chains are reshaping the sector. Angus Campbell, the former Chief of the Defence Force and now Ambassador to the European Union, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg, joins senior European officials to discuss cooperation on mineral supply security.
Washington carries a prominent voice. US Ambassador David Brat, who took up his post on 29 September 2026, delivers the ambassadorial address. Senior officials from the Departments of Commerce, Energy and War then set out America’s critical minerals strategy and the opportunities they see to build secure supply chains with Australia and its allies. The session comes amid intensifying competition for the minerals that underpin defence, advanced manufacturing and clean energy. Oman also makes an announcement at its pavilion.
The commercial questions follow. IGO Managing Director and CEO Ivan Vella, Alcoa Australia President Elsabe Muller, Minerals Council of Australia Chief Economist Ross Lambie and Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia CEO Aaron Morey weigh whether Australia can convert global demand into investment, processing capability and economic growth. Lynas Rare Earths, Metso, PT Freeport Indonesia and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation address what it takes to build competitive processing and refining capacity.
Evolution Mining Chair Jake Klein speaks on capital discipline, productivity and project delivery, and an afternoon investment program reviews the outlook for gold, copper and other commodities. A special IMARC Exchange roundtable, with the Minerals Council of Australia, AMEC and the Australian Coal Industry’s Research Program, considers how the industry can change the conversation about coal’s future.
Wednesday turns to money. Jefferies, Traxys, Argonaut and NioCorp ask why more mines are not being built and what keeps investment capital from becoming new developments. Export credit agencies then take the floor, with Export Finance Australia CEO John Hopkins, KfW IPEX-Bank CEO Belgin Rudack and US EXIM Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Alyssa Pettus discussing who will finance the next generation of critical minerals projects.
Thursday looks ahead. BHP Vice President Innovation Marley Palin examines the next wave of mining innovation, followed by Fortescue, Thiess and Hexagon on the practical use of AI and automation. A specialist roundtable closes the programme by testing whether mine waste can become a valuable new resource and what commercial and regulatory barriers stand in the way of reprocessing it.
