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Gina Rinehart looks for government red carpet for resources projects
Katina Curtis
The West Australian
Sat, 31 August 2024 2:00AM


Mining magnate Gina Rinehart says Australia should be rolling out the red carpet for resources companies but instead red tape is forcing them offshore. Credit: TheWest

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart says Australia should be rolling out the red carpet for resources companies but instead red tape is forcing them offshore.

The Hancock Prospecting executive chair pointed to BHP and Rio Tinto projects in other countries, saying they were pulling their “productive billions” out of the Pilbara and taking them elsewhere despite the poor operating conditions.

BHP is exploring for copper in the Arctic regions of Canada while Rio is developing an iron ore project at Simandou in Guinea.


“What does that do for Aussie, high-paid mining jobs, revenue, opportunities? Nothing,” Mrs Rinehart said in a speech at Port Hedland on Friday.

“That significant investment benefit is going offshore to a country where Rio have had to repeatedly evacuate given the repetitive violent civil disruptions, and to a country where do they have any real idea how long their shareholders’ investment will guarantee the asset they invest billions in will remain part-Rio’s?”

She said the moves should make Australian governments ask themselves what they were doing wrong.

“Why aren’t we really doing something about it? Where is the red carpet for the BHPs and Rios, who’ve invested in our country and created and enabled for us Aussies so much?” she said.

She went on to warn that the Canada, terrible weather notwithstanding, “has its red carpet out – and that’s under socialist Trudeau” to welcome mining projects.

She called for slashing payroll and income taxes, stamp duties, energy costs and “government tape”.

Lengthy approval processes for resources projects have come under increasing scrutiny over recent months, intensifying after Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek rejected a tailings dam for a proposed gold mine in NSW earlier this month.

The Government wants to overhaul the environmental laws but the mining sector fears this will only add to the processes.


"Yep and RIO have trouble in serbia with the lithium debacle.Never mind the iron ore , offshore across the LIT space generally is becoming an issue"
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