Coal not a dirty word for mining conference organiser Phil Dickinson

PHIL DICKINSON, the man behind this month’s Australian Energy and Minerals Investor Conference in Brisbane, is a big believer in solar and wind. But he also sees a place for coal.

Mining conference organiser Phil Dickinson says the Adani project will save the black-throated finch.

KING COAL

PHIL Dickinson, the man behind this month’s Australian Energy and Minerals Investor Conference in Brisbane, is a big believer in solar and wind. But he also sees a place for coal in the foreseeable future, especially the stuff dug out of Queensland.

“Queensland coal is so much cleaner than the dirty brown stuff dug out of Victoria,” says the former mining engineer who also organises the Noosa Mining Conference. “In time, we will go to wind and solar but in the meantime we should use clean coal.”

Phil, who got into the stockbroking game after his mining career, is also a big backer of Adani’s Carmichael mine and disputes the recent kerfuffle that the endangered black-throated finch will be further threatened by the project.

“It will actually save the finch because more ground cover and water will be provided by Adani,” says Phil, whose claims no doubt would be challenged by environmentalists. “This will attract more birds.”

The Australian Energy and Minerals Investor Conference, to be held at the Royal on the Park Hotel from March 27-28, will attract 35 ASX-listed companies involved in lithium, gold, oil and gas, graphite, copper and clean energy.

Phil says 600 people attended last year’s inaugural event, a figure likely to be topped this year. Among those signed up include Queensland Resources Council boss Ian Macfarlane, Burrell Stockbroking’s Chris Burrell and Austex Mining director Rob Murdoch.

GOING SWIMMINGLY

THE cream of Brisbane’s business community dived in last night to help raise funds in the fight against motor neurone disease.

The 10th MW Recruitment Swimming Carnival for the MND and ME Foundation was held at the Valley Pool, attracting a diverse range of business people including BDO chairman Tony Schiffmann, McInnes Wilson managing director Paul Tully, Gadens boss Paul Spiro and Hall Chadwick Queensland’s Mike Williams.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk was auctioned off to swim for the highest bidding firm along with Olympic swimmers Susie O’Neill, Jodie Henry, Mitch Larkin and Nick D’Arcy.

Organised by MW Recruitment’s Hugh Hamilton for the past 10 years, the charity swim is hoping to bust the $200,000 mark this year in funds raised for motor neuron disease.

COUNTING COWS

BLUE Sky’s balance sheet has been one of the most heavily scrutinised since the Brisbane-based fund manager experienced a sharemarket bloodbath last year following short-seller criticism of the accuracy of their performance statistics.

So we’re sure they’re being super careful with double-checking numbers now, even to the extent of adding a new item – $845,000 in “biological assets” – on the balance sheet following the release of their interim results this week. Say what? The account notes describe them as “comprised of livestock (dairy cattle)”.

WEEL TURNS

PWR boss Kees Weel has sold a big chunk of shares in the Ormeau-based company that makes cooling systems for Formula One and NASCAR racing teams. Weel told the ASX yesterday that his KPW Property Holdings sold 4.5 million shares on Thursday for $16.2 million, equivalent to $3.60 a share.

Weel, however, says he remains committed to PWR’s business and remains through KPW the company’s major shareholder with an almost 30 per cent stake.

Shares in the company, which listed in 2015, have climbed almost 50 per cent in the past 12 months. PWR announced this week that its net profit climbed 52.5 per cent to $3.1 million in the six months to 31 December.

UP AND AWAY

THE Flying Kangaroo is not the only one putting a few bucks into Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines. Alliance founder and managing director Scott McMillan bought a further 99,509 shares in the regional carrier last week for $251,489.

McMillan and his family trust now hold 3.9 million shares, making him among the top 10 shareholders. Qantas last month grabbed a 20 per cent stake in Alliance, founded by McMillan and Steve Padgett in 2002.