Peter Dutton to miners: Labor uses you as piggy bank

Peter Dutton will warn mining chiefs that Labor is coming ‘after your industry’ because it views the resources sector as a ‘piggy bank for its coffers’.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: Martin Ollman / NCA NewsWire

Peter Dutton will warn mining chiefs that Labor is “coming after your industry” with inflexible industrial relations laws, higher taxes and an anti-coal crusade because it views the resources sector as a “piggy bank for its coffers”.

Speaking at the Minerals Week conference in Canberra on Wednesday, the Opposition Leader will accuse Anthony Albanese of attacking mining companies who helped Australia avoid a recession.

Mr Dutton – who claims the Liberal Party is the “party of the worker” – will say the Prime Minister and Jim Chalmers are “happy to take your profits and investment for their bottom line, but whack your sector with higher taxes and inflexible IR laws”.

“Of course, Labor starts out OK but then they run out of money and they come after your industry. We’ve seen it all before. Mr Albanese has had two budgets now and he’s only made things worse. If not for the resources sector, our country would be in recession by now,” he will say.

Mr Dutton will say the Coalition “stands against” the sweeping IR shake-up, and attacks the government for being “beholden to its union paymasters” and green activists.

“These proposed changes will damage our industries and economy. Such restrictions put significant constraints on companies wanting to expand, start new projects, construct new infrastructure, or simply manage their operations as they see fit,” he will say. “If these businesses go bust, then there’s less workers and service providers in the system, more pressure on supply chains and, consequently, fewer mining projects commencing.”

The Liberal leader talks up the opportunity of nuclear energy and growing international demand for Australian uranium, coal and gas.

“Energy Minister Chris Bowen is on an anti-coal and anti-gas crusade. He is doing everything possible to undermine these Australian industries, which will have implications for our domestic supply, energy security, export markets and foreign investment.”

Ahead of Mr Dutton accusing Labor of becoming the “party of the inner-city elite and Greens”, the government on Tuesday backed a push by the Greens and teal independents for a Senate inquiry into the Middle Arm gas project in the Northern Territory.

Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young claimed a win after Labor backflipped to support the probe into climate, environmental, health and cultural heritage impacts of the project.

The Minerals Council of Australia on Wednesday will release its Climate Action Progress Report, revealing scope 1 emissions at its members’ facilities captured under the safeguard mechanism plunged by 9.3 per cent. The MCA, whose members include BHP, Whitehaven, Rio Tinto and Glencore, said scope 1 and 2 emissions fell by more than 7 per cent.

MCA chief executive Tania Constable said the data, reported through the safeguard mechanism and National Greenhouse and Energy Report scheme, shows the industry is working towards its ambition of net zero by 2050.

“Having established a strong base, Australia’s mining industry will continue to progress climate action initiatives and report regularly on progress,” she said.