Automated mining will cost jobs and tax income: it's time for governments to act

Study shows all governments need to play a greater role in restructuring mining sector to compensate for automation effects

From a distance, everything looks normal at Rio Tinto's Yandicoogina and Nammuldi mines in Pilbara, Western Australia. Huge trucks trundle along the mines' reddish-brown terraced sides laden with high-grade iron ore. Back and forth, almost endlessly.

Watch for long enough, however, and you'll see that no-one ever steps out of the cab. No lunch stops. No toilet breaks. No change of shift. That's because these house-sized trucks are being remotely operated by 'drivers' based 1,200 kilometres away in Perth.

Related: Mining, manufacturing and fruit picking: can automation save Mackay jobs?

Related: Revealed: Rio Tinto's plan to use drones to monitor workers' private lives

Related: Can democracy survive the fourth industrial revolution? Should it?

Related: Revealed: Rio Tinto's plan to use drones to monitor workers' private lives