Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gets on his bike to sell a high-tech mining future for Western Australia

From virtual reality mining to PM pedal power, Anthony Albanese did not shy away from immersing himself in all of the activities on offer at the Resources Technology Showcase. After shaking-off what he thought was a “chilly” start to the day in Perth, the Prime Minister was ready to work up a sweat at Chevron Australia’s display. “Here we go,” Mr Albanese said as he mounted a bike and began pedalling to produce human power. “It’s not big enough,” he later added after a cool sprint clocking-up 50 watts — enough juice to charge a mobile phone. “That was my excuse too — if I was so tall enough, I could do more,” Chevron Australia president Balaji Krishnamurthy quipped. The PM then took a trip past the Fortescue stand for the low-down on battery-electric trucks, autonomous vehicles, and ammonia-powered ships. Fortescue chief executive Dino Otranto had come prepared with a custom T-shirt bearing the signature “Albo” printed on the front. It was at Hancock Prospecting where Mr Albanese sought to show he was not afraid to get his hands dirty with some manual labour, donning a virtual reality headset and trying out a bit of mining exploration. On his way out, the Prime Minister said the showcase was just as good as he’d remembered from years past. “A couple of years ago, I was here, and it struck me how many young people and families visit this showcase,” Mr Albanese said. “And that’s been reinforced today, and no doubt, over the next couple of days, you’ll see school groups coming through this showcase, making an enormous difference.” Close to 100 schools have signed-up to attend the Resources Technology Showcase over the next few days to get a hands-on experience of what the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics has on offer. Thousands, including families and children, flocked to the exhibition centre for the first day of the showcase on Sunday. Among them was Nadia Ghosh and her kids. “For my husband and I, it has been about getting some exposure and learning what the future holds,” Mrs Ghosh said. “I do get a bit worried about what the kids will do when they get older, with everything being more electronic and of course artificial intelligence. It is daunting,” Mrs Ghosh said she had felt more reassured after working her way through the different stalls and was “optimistic” about the future of the mining industry. “I think it’s, yeah, knowing that there is still jobs for them out there that isn’t technically, like manual based,” she said. “Technology is developing quickly, and I think it’s easy to fall into thinking that jobs are going to be replaced but I do feel excited about what I’ve seen here. “I’m glad there is going to be work for my kids.” For parents already working in the industry, like Alex Fuerst, it was an opportunity to bring his five-year-old daughter Adalena to see a bit of what he does for work. “I’m a geologist so it’s a bit hard to explain that work to young kids sometimes but this makes it a little easier,” Mr Fuerst said. “She (his daughter) loves it because you’ve got all the big Caterpillar machines here that they can get up close and sit in, which we all loved as kids — and still do as adults.” “It is a really good idea for the kids and plenty for them to do.”