"By combining Kinross's world-class mines, growth projects and proven ability in mine development with the potential of Red Back's assets, we are creating a gold growth powerhouse," Tye W. Burt, Kinross's president and chief executive, said in a statement.
Longer-term, however, Mr. Haslem said, the Australian dollar's strength is likely to weigh on sectors such as inbound tourism and manufactured exports, creating a "two-speed economy" in which the buoyant mining sector growth will outstrip growth in most other sectors.
Gilbert also sees data management and data mining as growth fields.
With a dearth of large new copper mines in the works and lower production from existing mines, supply growth is limited, and strong demand should keep prices high.
Turner, who raises sheep and cattle, said his business had suffered in the 30 years of the mines' explosive growth.
For one thing, this is an old favorite discussion of mine; the "growth and trade" literature goes back more than 60 years, but there aren't, I think, many prominent economists working today who know much about that tradition, so I may be the last of the Mohicans or something.
That will require Whitacre to mine new growth from all he has assembled even as he mulls pursuing one last big deal.
"With declining supply from secondary sources and increasing demand, mine supply growth would need to be significant to fill the gap," LaFamina said, adding that more than 150 new reactors have been proposed worldwide, with the most in China, India and Russia.
To underscore the strategic shift, Boyce spun off the company's Appalachian mines (low-growth, low-profit underground operations) into a new listed company, Patriot Coal.
Despite being a significant source of economic growth, mining has never been a major employer.
