This Month
Rio Tinto and Mitsui target billionaire Creasy’s Pilbara iron ore
The giant miner and Japanese trading house have bid $75 million for the legendary prospector’s iron ore tenements.
Rio says Australian dividends at risk if investors back activist fund
ASX shareholders will vote on whether to force the miner to review its dual-company structure and end its primary London listing next month.
Peabody’s $6b deal to buy Anglo’s Queensland coal mines at risk
The American giant is reviewing its options after the second fire at a project – this time Moranbah North – in the portfolio in less than 12 months.
Dutton rules out axing ‘same job, same pay’ laws
Business groups have condemned Labor’s IR changes but have stopped short of criticising the opposition leader for saying he will not repeal them.
Glencore seeks taxpayer bailout for Queensland copper smelter and refinery
The Swiss mining giant warned its Mt Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery in Queensland were struggling and required taxpayer support.
MinRes and Chris Ellison face class action over ‘misleading conduct’
The loss-making miner has rejected claims its share price was “artificially inflated by the company’s misconduct” and that investors suffered losses as a result.
March
Mining exports to drop as commodity prices stagnate
Australia’s commodity exports are expected to fall almost 7 per cent, piling pressure on the government to cushion the impact ahead of the election.
Rio Tinto has talks with Congo over prize lithium deposit
Securing investment from a Western firm of Rio’s size would be a significant boost for the central African nation’s leaders.
Departures at Regal-backed mining financier Taurus
The exits come 15 months after Phil King’s Regal acquired 50 per cent of Taurus, a small but mighty player in mining finance.
Minerals chief warns against taxpayer bailout for struggling smelters
Andrew Michelmore, the former chief of ASX-listed zinc smelter Zinifex, said taxpayer funds paid out in bad times should be recouped in good times.
MinRes facing Qantas-like negative hysteria, says L1’s Landau
Mark Landau has rejected suggestions that the indebted miner will be forced into an equity raising and has used the share price collapse to build up a stake.
Unions file to force Rio Tinto to the table in the Pilbara
Unions have launched legal action for orders to compel the mining giant to negotiate the first union agreement in three decades.
Trafigura puts Australian metal processing operations under review
In an interview, the trading house’s chief executive, Richard Holtum, said “uncompetitive” assets should be at least part owned by the government.
Added to the wrong group chat? Happened to me too
It’s not the same as being texted secret American war plans, but I have been mistaken for an M&A counter-party twice in the past two years.
Gold Road chief executive lashes ‘aggressive’ $3.3b takeover bid
Duncan Gibbs said the proposal from South Africa’s Gold Fields, its partner in a West Australian mine, was priced too low.
Mining’s promising future could come under union siege
At the heart of any Labor government lies the obligation to serve the interests of their parent company, the union movement, before the national interest.
Australia’s lithium dream is fading. Can tax breaks revive it?
The prime minister believes he can revive hopes of turning Australia into a minerals processing powerhouse. Is this anything other than wishful thinking?
South32 accused of stealing confidential information
South32 is embroiled in a legal dispute with a contractor, which is accusing it of taking its confidential information to copy its products.
$1b-capped Catalyst Metals sells Tasmanian mine to listed junior
The gold miner is back from its roadshow and ready to press play on a divestment, just as record-high bullion prices spike M&A activity in the resources sector.
Rio boosts travel, training perks as Pilbara union war heats up
Workers at Rio Tinto operations in the WA mining zone are being offered increased benefits, just as unions try to convince them they need organised representation.