Australia Archives - Page 6 of 13

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.

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.

Media Release | The Hon Madeleine King MP | Support for WA rare earths project to boost jobs and commitment to net zero

17 January 2023.

A further $100 million commitment by Hancock Group to benefit West Australians

22 November 2022.

Jobs and Skills Summit: Seniors will be able to work extra hours without losing pension entitlements

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrapped up the two-day event in Canberra by announcing the anticipated change to the pension — a policy WA billionaire Gina Rinehart campaigned for ahead of the Federal election. Ms Rinehart said the new measure could have gone further, and the paperwork pensioners need to undertake, along with other restrictions would just deter pensioners from working.

Japan, Korea say Australian gas exports critical

“The Japanese government has been asking the Australian government to implement any measure in such a way that it does not impact Japan’s supply of LNG from Australia, and the Japanese government will continue doing so,” a Japanese government official told The Australian Financial Review. He also said Korea was focused on securing more urgent supplies of critical minerals. “The sense of vulnerability they have because of china’s dominance of that market is enormous.” Senex Energy, a subsidiary of Korean steelmaker Posco and Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Resources, earlier this month announced plans for a $1 billion coal seam gas expansion in Queensland. Government and Japanese trading house sources in Tokyo said there was also a huge appetite by Japanese companies to invest in the Australian energy sector, particularly now that political risk meant China and Russia were being ruled out for new investments.

War drones, sea mines needed to defend north: Rinehart

“I hope with the new government a better decision is made in the interests of West Australians and northern Australia, to relocate the planned navy maintenance investment away from the people and port of Fremantle, and relocate to the north-west, to Cape Preston,” said Mrs Rinehart after Saturday’s election rout of Scott Morrison’s Coalition government. Mrs Rinehart reiterated her belief that senior citizens and defence force veterans should not lose their pensions if they choose to work for an income, saying both the community and the economy would be better off if they were able to participate more at a time of labour shortages. “Enabling our economy to grow via urgent and significant tape cuts is the best way to increase jobs and opportunities for our youth, our females and our entire population, and the best way to enable wage increases and standards of living to rise, in turn providing revenue for necessities like, healthcare, emergencies, police, kindergartens, our elderly and more.”Restrictions on stopping pensioners and vets from working, restrictions that mean they can only work for a few dollars a week without losing all or part of their pensions, and onerous paperwork, must go urgently,” she said.

Resources, energy export earnings set for record $425bn

Australia’s resources and energy export earnings are forecast to surge to a record high $425 billion for 2021-22. Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt said the latest forecast, from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources’ March 2022 edition of the Resources and Energy Quarterly (REQ), is up a stunning 12 per cent on the December 2021 REQ projection of $379 billion. “The March 2022 REQ has found that soaring demand and high prices for Australia’s gas, coal and oil are a key contributor to our record export earnings. In short our resources sector is knocking it out of the park and underpinning our economic growth, our energy security and our national security,” Minister Pitt said.

BHP ships direct to Pilbara

BHP has been trialling direct shipping to Port Hedland since 2020 and will now ship 7.5 per cent of the containerised supplies it receives into its Western Australian Iron Ore (WAIO) operations from all over the world through Singapore, directly to Port Hedland. “This initiative not only improves efficiency, it also improves safety and environmental outcomes, thereby benefiting the whole community,” Dunham said.“PPA is proud of the work it has done to make direct shipping possible and has already trebled its first port of entry facilities to accommodate growing demand,” Johnston said. “The service is generating more inbound and outbound freight opportunities, which in turn creates local opportunities for container de-stuffing, warehousing, and distribution.

Australian resources and energy keep export dollars flowing

“These latest quarterly figures show Australia’s resources are the gifts that keep on giving,” Minister Pitt said. “Our resources exports continue to bring hundreds of billions of dollars into the country and keep thousands of Australians in high-value, high-skilled jobs – particularly in regional Australia. “Just as iron ore’s incredibly strong run cools, soaring demand for our coal and liquefied natural gas is fuelling a surge in export revenues.

Category: Australia