Small BHP joint venture loses silver lining

BHP Billiton has quit a small joint venture to define the Altia copper and silver prospect in Queensland, just a day after the company's chairman and its chief executive warned it would scale back on spending.

WA Today | May 17, 2012 | 9:01 pm

Xstrata’s Wandoan thermal coal mine gets court go-ahead

Queensland's Land Court has recommended the state government approve Xstrata Coal's thermal coalmine at Wandoan, in the Surat Basin, deeming objections based on its likely contribution to climate change ''irrelevant''.

WA Today | March 27, 2012 | 4:23 pm

Rio’s carbon tax warning

In the latest of a series of public attacks Rio Tinto has intensified its opposition to Australia's carbon tax, urging Prime Minister Julia Gillard to go back to the drawing board and start again on carbon policy.

WA Today | September 8, 2011 | 12:22 am

Vale, Aquila get nod for Australia Eagle Downs mine

Brazilian mining giant Vale and Aquila Resources have received a nod from the Queensland government for the Eagle Downs coal project in the Bowen Basin, granting a mining lease.

WA Today | August 19, 2011 | 1:48 am

PM reassures coal workers on carbon tax

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is reassuring NSW coalminers her carbon tax will not stop their sons from following in their footsteps. Ms Gillard is spruiking her carbon price package in the NSW Hunter Valley today. Image is from MystifyMe Concert Photography (Troy).

WA Today | July 19, 2011 | 8:49 am

Fortescue iron ore shipments jump

Fortescue Metals Group expects to ship 12 to 12.5 million tonnes of iron ore in the September quarter after shipments rose 38 per cent in the June quarter.

WA Today | July 15, 2011 | 3:10 am

World’s largest copper producer faces strike

The world's largest copper producer, Codelco, is facing a 24-hour strike on Monday in opposition to a plan that workers say would move Chile's state-owned mining corporation toward privatization. The Federation of Copper Workers , which represents 15,000 of the company's 20,000 employees, called for the strike, which will be the company's first in 18 years.

WA Today | July 10, 2011 | 9:57 pm

Australian coal industry predicts spate of mining closures

Australia's coalmining axis will shift to the north and west on the back of the Gillard government's carbon tax, according to industry leaders left frustrated by the plan revealed yesterday by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Despite unveiling a $1.264 billion assistance package for what it believes will be the worst-affected coal mines, the Gillard government was accused by the Australian Coal Association of wrongly anticipating where the tax pain would be felt.

WA Today | July 10, 2011 | 1:59 pm

Mining truck tires now pricier than a Merc

China's insatiable demand for commodities has prompted a tripling in the price of mining truck tyres, making them more expensive than a Mercedes sportscar. Prices for tyres about 3.5 meters wide used on the Caterpillar trucks that haul iron ore and coal have touched $93,500 on the spot market, according to Leighton Holdings, a contractor for mining companies including BHP Billiton. Prices rose as high as $140,000 in 2008.

WA Today | June 30, 2011 | 6:09 am