Northern Territory Country Hour NT Country Hour
Jan 27, 2026
Tom LePage, a student at Alice Springs School of the Air, shares life in remote schooling. Nerida Beard, Director of Water Resources, outlines a managed aquifer recharge trial and planning steps. Alan Trench, academic from UWA Business School, discusses gold's record price, supply limits and local mining dynamics. Multiple short conversations cover water trials, gold markets and remote education routines.
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Gold Surge Fueled By Safe-Haven Demand
- Alan Trench explains gold's recent surge is driven by investor safe-haven demand and central bank buying amid geopolitical tension.
- He notes gold supply is inelastic so higher prices may persist since miners can't quickly ramp up output.
Supply Limits Keep Gold Prices Elevated
- Gold's supply is historically inelastic, so price rises don't prompt large immediate production increases.
- Trench warns there's effectively no natural ceiling for gold because it's hard to substitute in demand.
Tennant Creek Revival And Kalgoorlie Reality
- Alan Trench shares local examples like Tennant Creek returning to small-scale production after decades.
- He contrasts that with large operations like the Kalgoorlie super pit, which aren't producing step-change output.