Tony Abbott says our mining boom would not have happened without Japan at Rio Tinto in the Pilbara region
THE mining boom in WA’s iron-ore rich Pilbara region could not have happened without Japan, Tony Abbott said on his whirlwind tour of the area today.
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THE mining boom in WA’s iron-ore rich Pilbara region could not have happened without Japan, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on his whirlwind tour of the area today.
Speaking at a small ceremony overlooking an open pit mine at Rio Tinto’s West Angelas site, Mr Abbott highlighted the mutually beneficial half-century relationship between Japan and Australia as part of his tour with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“It is fitting that the Prime Minister of Japan and the Prime Minister of Australia should be here together on this site, on this occasion, because almost nothing here in the Pilbara would have happened without the cooperation of Australia and Japan,” Mr Abbott said.
“The iron ore industry of the Pilbara is the result of a historic collaboration, a historic partnership between Australian mining know-how and Japanese capital and technology.”
Mr Abe, who arrived in Australia on Monday to strengthen trade and defence ties between the two countries, is the first Japanese prime minister to visit the Pilbara in 40 years.
He was welcomed at a special ceremony with a traditional Aboriginal dance and was given a brief tour of the mine site and was welcomed at a ceremony alongside Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh and WA Premier Colin Barnett.
The West Angelas mine site, 110km north west of Newman, is a joint venture between Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel.
“I was extremely impressed that taking a five hour flight and still I’m still in Australia, (I’m) really amazed how big this country is,” he told the crowd through a translator.
“It actually took twice as long as the summit meeting we had yesterday but I actually believe that we had a deeper discussion on the plane.
“Ever since the 1950s, with Japanese investment, Western Australia has been developing mineral resources and of course at the other end with the supply of resources and energy from Australia it has been an important part of Japanese economic growth.”
This week, Mr Abe and Mr Abbott signed the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, a free-trade agreement that will give Australian exporters better access to Japan and will see a decrease in the price of Japanese cars and electronics for Australian consumers.
They also signed a landmark defence cooperation agreement, allowing both countries to jointly develop submarine technologies.
Japan is Australia’s second biggest trading partner, with more than 15 per cent of Australia’s exports headed there and two-way trade last year worth $70 billion.
Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh said he was pleased the prime ministers could witness first the iron ore operations in the Pilbara, which were “born on the back of Japanese investment”.
“Japan is now one of Rio Tinto’s most important trading partners and our enduring relationship for almost half a century symbolises the strengthening economic and trade ties between Australia and Japan,” he said.
Mr Abbott, Mr Abe and Mr Barnett will arrive in Perth later today to have a formal dinner at Crown.
Originally published as Tony Abbott says our mining boom would not have happened without Japan at Rio Tinto in the Pilbara region
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