Atlas Iron | Congratulations to our Executive Chairman, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, on being announced as the 2023 Western Australian of the Year.

Recognised for her outstanding contribution to the state and national economy, Mrs Rinehart was also awarded the 2023 Business Award. A passionate philanthropist, Mrs Rinehart supports various medical, educational, sporting, health and community organisations, including the life-changing Hanrine Futures Scholarships, which ensures disadvantaged and vulnerable Indigenous children in the Pilbara receive an education and a guaranteed job.

Read More

Regions play to resources’ strengths

WHEN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took his full ministry to Port Hedland in February, the focus was on the importance of the resources sector. It was an opportunity for Mr Albanese and his east coast colleagues to see first-hand the enormous scale of iron ore export operations from the port. Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter had a more complex agenda. “We have always maintained that Port Hedland is an economic powerhouse for our nation, but we also face numerous challenges as we try to prosper as a community,” Mr Carter said. Mr Carter welcomed the prime minister’s announcement that $565 million would be invested into Pilbara ports but said this needed to be supported by investment in social infrastructure. “The state and nation need a thriving port to drive our economy, but the port also needs a thriving Hedland to succeed,” Mr Carter said.

Read More

Opinion | Autonomous cities are the next big thing for SEZs

Farsighted government leaders see the opportunity for more than just billions of dollars’ worth of immediate foreign direct investment. They see the importance of attracting young talent, such as creators, entrepreneurs and artists, who are seeking communities they are inspired by and choose to live in. These are the people who will shape and move the world of tomorrow. They are the ones creating economic and social opportunities. Judging by the amount of excitement, and by the projects currently under early development, the time is right. Autonomous cities are the next big thing. They are the next generation of SEZs, and so much more.

Read More

Too much fiscal intervention will make miners wary

Resources companies aren’t doing Australia a favour by investing in the country, they’re doing it because there’s money to be made, even with an increasing government take. But the danger for governments with a propensity to fiddle with industry tax regimes is overestimating their willingness to pay. It’s easily overlooked when company bosses warn that changes to Australia’s fiscal regime will force investment capital offshore and make other jurisdictions more attractive that the country still has a lot going for it.

Read More

WA toppled as world’s most attractive mining province

Western Australia has been toppled as the world’s top-rated mining investment destination but remains Australia’s most attractive jurisdiction. The Institute ranks the attractiveness of the world’s mining jurisdictions by measuring their practices, mineral potential and regulatory and fiscal policies based on a poll sent to nearly 2000 people in the mining industry. WA’s drop was blamed on a drop in its policy score, which shunted it from 4th to 10th last year, as miners “expressed increased concern over its taxation regime, uncertainty regarding environmental regulations and regulatory duplication and inconsistencies”, the Fraser Institute report said.

Read More

‘TAX ON WA TO FUND THE EAST’

One of Australia’s leading energy analysts says the Federal Government’s changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax means the nation has “lost its competitive advantage” in the lucrative LNG sector.Mr Kavonic warned the changes could lead to the gas industry — already reconsidering Australian investment after east coast policy intervention — thinking twice about the west coast now, too.

Read More

Labor’s tax take to hit 15-year high

The federal government’s tax take is poised to hit its highest level in 15 years thanks to soaring resource sector profits and inflation pushing workers into higher tax brackets. Veteran budget watcher Chris Richardson expects the May 9 budget to reveal tax revenue as a share of the economy will reach 23.8 per cent next financial year, which will be the highest level of collections since 2008.

Read More

Playing the Game

Get them young and maybe you’ll get them for life — that appears to be Gina Rinehart’s latest play to shore up an appreciation of mining. The billionaire has unveiled a novel counter to the shrill opposition against the industry, launching a kids app to massage the notion that resources are not only necessary to sustain modern living, but they also offer a fabulous career. Margin Call downloaded the game – Roy Hill Mine Tales – and attempted its basic challenges: dynamite was laid, ore was loaded onto a truck, the minerals were crushed, washed with a hose, and, in a final boss challenge, they had to be sucked up and directed into the hull of a barge, probably destined for China.“All I would say is those kids might have a bright future working for the best mining company in Australia, the biggest prize of all.”

Read More

News Australians are ready, willing, and able to work – let them!

Currently, only 3 per cent of pensioners work in Australia, compared to 25 per cent in New Zealand. This is not because pensioners in Australia do not want to work. Research has shown that around one in five want to work, but do not, because of unfair tax and red tape barriers.The solution is to follow New Zealand’s approach by removing all red tape on pensioners, students, and veterans. This would mean that these Australians could earn as much income as they would want, without losing their pension payments or welfare benefits. Of course, they would still pay income tax like every other Australian worker. Removing all red-tape and barriers for Australian pensioners, veterans, and students to get back into the workforce, without suffering significant financial penalties, is a simple and effective policy measure that is good for them and good for our nation. More Australians working means higher government revenue through income tax, GST, and payroll tax, which can be reinvested into infrastructure and used to pay down our debt.

Read More

‘Intervention’ risks boom

“At a time when we need more investment to unlock the nation’s vast critical minerals potential, Australia’s investment environment is deteriorating at speed. You cannot keep throwing punches at Australian businesses and expect to maintain the same level of economic growth and job creation,” Ms Constable said in an opinion piece ahead of an appearance at Seven West Media’s Resources Technology Showcase.

Read More