Miners call on Australian government to lift productivity, go green

Australia’s top mining executives have called on the newly re-elected Australian government of Anthony Albanese to introduce bold policies aimed at boosting productivity, attracting talent, and accelerating the shift to clean energy.Speaking at mining summit in Perth this week, Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN) executive chairman Jake Klein said the federal election campaign lacked vision from both major parties. “I was immensely disappointed… there was nothing inspiring or motivational at all that we heard about the future of Australia,” Klein said. He called for major investment in education, noting a decline in mining-related training compared to a decade ago.Klein also urged the government to incentivize innovation in mining, arguing the sector needs to appeal to young tech talent. “We need programs, tax breaks, incentives for people so that they believe mining is the place where they can succeed best,” he said.Productivity slippingLiontown Resources (ASX: LTR) managing director Tony Ottaviano conceded that Australia had a productivity problem. He cited a ten-year shift in labour requirements: “Building a 1-million-tonne gold plant used to take 9,000 labour hours for electrical work. Now it takes over 20,000,” Ottaviano said. He pointed to skill gaps and increased oversight as contributing factors, warning the country risks falling behind globally.Dale Henderson, managing director of Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) echoed concerns about approvals and competitiveness. “Things have got worse, not better,” he said. “Australia is at risk of losing its incredible mining pedigree… We need to get back to basics.”Australia can’t do it allLynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) managing director Amanda Lacaze urged caution against isolating Australia from global partnerships amid rising economic nationalism.“The pandemic showed how quickly countries retreated to their personal interests, rather than retain a belief in global benefit,” she said.  “We should be cautious in Australia of thinking we can do it all, and that we should recognize that it is still important to partner with other nations, like Japan and Korea, for our success.”Over a decade ago, Lynas chose to build a downstream processing facility in Malaysia due to incentives offered by the government there at the time.“We punch under our weight in South East Asia, and we managed to actually partner there, rather than just saying, globalization is dead, let’s just do it all ourselves,” Lacaze said.Greening the economyOn the energy front, Fortescue (ASX: FMG) founder Andrew Forrest delivered a fiery plea for reform. He criticized the federal diesel fuel rebate for miners, arguing it props up fossil fuel use.“We’re subsidizing the hell out of fossil fuel and saying to companies who want to go green, well now you’re going to fight government policy. That’s stupid,” he said. Forrest challenged the government to redirect fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy development, especially among large mining companies. “If we’re going to give you all this free money, use it to go green. Don’t just use it to buy more diesel.”Forrest said Prime Minister Albanese and Western Australian Premier Roger Cook, who was also re-elected in March, had been given a strong mandate to lead. “Give us lower-cost, abundant energy, made in Australia. Not diesel, not petrol. We import all that crap [sic] and then burn it,” Forrest said. “We have a golden opportunity to cut waste, raise living standards, and lead the world in green energy. Now is the time to lead.”Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com