Category: Mining & Politics

Mining & Politics

Chile: The Aussie Connection, An Interview with Clinton Fernandes – CounterPunch.org

Due to the complexity of this document and the niche scientific target audience, no alternative description has been provided. Please email Geoscience Australia at clientservices@ga.gov.au for an alternative description.

JH: Can you say more on Investor Rights.  For instance, Australia owns the second largest lithium supplier in the world. This just in time for the EV revolution. China would love that opportunity.  But I’ve read recently that the US has just offered to “buy out” a major supplier in Perth.  Could Australia get caught up on a slippery banana and fall prey to foreign predators, like Chile did?

CF: On lithium and other critical minerals: in 2013, Geoscience Australia conducted a study of ‘Critical commodities for a high-tech world’. It found that Australia was rich in antimony, beryllium, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, graphite, helium, indium, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, platinum-group elements, rare-earth elements, tantalum, thorium, tin, titanium, tungsten and zirconium. We could establish a nationally owned company that exercised ownership and control of strategically important minerals. We would then be in a position to increase domestic innovation and support higher value-added sectors, such as high-technology research and development, advanced manufacturing, and energy efficiency.

Instead, Australia has established a Critical Minerals Facilitation Office, which involves creating a benign environment for private investors to carve up our critical minerals.

Source: Chile: The Aussie Connection, An Interview with Clinton Fernandes – CounterPunch.org

Mining, Mining & Politics

ESG investing in the pink, green and black – Michael West

Award for making Australia lag behind the rest of the world and proud of it. That’s a business leader in this country

“We were doing sustainable development long before Wall Street discovered ESG,” mining legend Mitch Hooke says.

The veteran of political and industry battlegrounds starred at a recent mining conference where executives debated what other letter should go into the “E” for environmental, “S” for social and “G” for governance equation.

“And I’m sitting there screaming economic,” he told international delegates in Sydney.

“You cannot be in the pink – for social – or the green – for environmental – if you’re not in the black, and that’s what sustainable development gives you.”

Once head of the powerful Minerals Council of Australia, striding the corridors of Parliament House to advise governments, he led the campaign more than 10 years ago against a mining super profits tax.

In Kevin Rudd’s words, Mr Hooke has also been “one of the most destructive voices in Australian national climate change action”.

Accepting the Legend in Mining Award at a glittering industry dinner, Mr Hooke says the Australian mining industry took on board the commitment to sustainable development decades ago and “set up a whole stack of standards”.

“If you look back at where we were in 2002, we have a lot to be proud of,” he says, to a round of applause.

Source: ESG investing in the pink, green and black – Michael West

Mining, Mining & Politics

Country for Bad Dreams: Vandalism on the Nullarbor Plain – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Within the wheels of the company, blissful ignorance reigned. Rio Tinto’s head of corporate relations, Simone Niven, was not only based in London but had little idea about the significance of the Juukan Gorge caves. Relations could hardly be counted as her strong suit.

Conforming to previous instances of such vandalism, penalties are being called for regarding the perpetrators of the graffiti. Under the legal regime, damaging such sites can carry a fine of $A10,000 or six months in prison. But the harm has been done; again, history has been left poorer, and the dreams worse than ever.

Source: Country for Bad Dreams: Vandalism on the Nullarbor Plain – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Mining & Politics

Resource sector on winning steak – Michael West

When Australia and China remain the best of enemies and will continue to be

China represents the largest market for Australian resource and energy exports, making up 42 per cent of all exports in 2020-21. The next highest share was Japan at 11 per cent.

Source: Resource sector on winning steak – Michael West

Mining & Politics

Kalbar’s exotic minerals mine a toxic risk to Victoria’s food bowl – Michael West

The Lindenow Valley produces the salad greens and vegetables - broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, celery beetroot, cabbage and carrots - that help feed the nation. The Valley’s horticultural industry produces nearly one third of the state’s fresh vegetables; employs up to 2000 people at peak times; is worth more than $150 million a year to the local economy.

A hearing into the Environment Effects Statement for Kalbar’s mineral sands project on rich Victorian farmland has been told about competition for billions of litres of water, high levels of uranium, untested technologies and a strange backflip by the project’s “independent experts”. Elizabeth Minter investigates.

Source: Kalbar’s exotic minerals mine a toxic risk to Victoria’s food bowl – Michael West

Mining & Politics, Uncategorized

State Government reportedly chasing up to $300m in iron ore royalties ‘underpaid’ by mining giant BHP | The West Australian

via State Government reportedly chasing up to $300m in iron ore royalties ‘underpaid’ by mining giant BHP | The West Australian

Mining & Politics

Mining companies’ links with politicians ‘susceptible to corruption’ – report | Business | The Guardian

A mine in Perth

A new report shines a critical light on the links between mining companies, lobbyists and politicians, pointing to the Indian mining giant Adani as an example of how a company with a questionable record overseas can still gain mining approval in Australia.

Source: Mining companies’ links with politicians ‘susceptible to corruption’ – report | Business | The Guardian

Mining & Politics

Mining boom clean-up could cost taxpayers billions, says Australia Institute | Business | The Guardian

Report says mine sites may not be able to be successfully rehabilitated and warns of ‘big liabilities’

Source: Mining boom clean-up could cost taxpayers billions, says Australia Institute | Business | The Guardian

Mining & Politics

Rio Tinto’s billion-dollar mess: ‘unprincipled, shameful and evil’

Resources giant Rio Tinto has walked away from demands for a billion-dollar clean up in a decision that has stirred deadly tensions on Australia’s doorstep.

Source: Rio Tinto’s billion-dollar mess: ‘unprincipled, shameful and evil’