BHP Australia boss Geraldine Slattery warned that the Albanese government’s “same job, same pay” rules for labour hire threaten the country’s ability to exploit critical minerals for the energy transition and could deliver a $US2 billion ($2.94 billion) blow to the miner’s copper plans.

The president of the mining giant on Thursday said the proposed laws – which would ensure labour hire workers earn the same as the direct workforce – risked exacerbating an “unsustainable” situation where labour costs doubled while productivity plummeted.