Private equity set to pounce on mine assets PRIVATE equity firms are gearing up for a multi-billion-dollar push into the mining sector, with a wave of proposed asset sales by the big miners, a shortage of competing buyers and the funding headaches faced by smaller companies paving the way for a rise in deals. A number of investment bankers told The Weekend Australian that several major international private equity firms and numerous smaller boutique funds were increasingly active behind the scenes in Australia's resources sector.