Closing down the mine: A tale of two communities and their responses to mining closures in Australia and Sweden

Recent comparative research into mining closures and the responses by local communities to the loss of their economic base have revealed interesting similarities and differences. This paper examines the experience of Broken Hill (Australia) and Kiruna (Sweden), both important mining towns which have experienced significant closures in the past decade. A comparison is made between the strategies adopted by the two communities, seeking to overcome the crises which they faced, and lessons which can be drawn from their experiences. Although detailed fieldwork was conducted only in Broken Hill, a comprehenisve study of Kiruna conducted by Liljenas (1992) enabled comparisons to be drawn between strategies adopted by each of the communities when faced with similar circumstances.