King plays down ‘hysteria’ over Pilbara unionisation, lashes BHP

Resources Minister Madeleine King has poured cold water on fears the federal government’s industrial relations laws have allowed a union push that could spell an “economic catastrophe” in WA’s mining heartland.

The member for Brand accused miner BHP of trying to weaponise the press, and told a Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA event at Crown Perth on Thursday morning the laws were working as intended, branding suggestions otherwise “hysteria”.

Resources Minister Madeleine King following the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA breakfast at Crown Perth on Thursday.Credit: Jesinta Burton.

The chamber had voiced concerns over changes to collective bargaining laws which allow unions to force miners to negotiate on pay and conditions even with only a small fraction of the workforce’s support.

The new laws were used to strongarm BHP into negotiating a new agreement for workers in the Pilbara for the first time in a decade.

King defended the policy, which she said was designed to provide workers better conditions, and insisted demand for labour was having a greater impact on company HR departments.

The minister took aim at BHP, accusing the iron ore miner of using “the Murdoch press” to rail against Labor policy.

And she shut down chief economist Aaron Morey during a robust debate over union interference in the offshore oil and gas industry, which he said had the potential to stymie new investment for the sake of increasing the pay of workers on a quarter of a million dollars.

“I’m going to have to pull you up because I really don’t think it’s fair to say that without thinking about these people and the work they do,” she said.

“How many hours of the day are they working? What temperatures are they working in and how dangerous is the work they are doing? Can I get a show of hands? How many of you would want to do that?” she asked the 350 people in attendance.

“It’s no wonder union leaders get angry when businesses aren’t meeting their obligations.”

King doubled-down while speaking to media following the event, pointing out that the salary referenced was not representative of that of all workers in the state’s resources industry.

She also threw her support behind new gas developments, but said companies needed to be able to demonstrate the efficacy of offset measures including carbon capture and storage.

“We need to be able to show the public it works and industry knows it has to get runs on the board.”

When quizzed about the comments, BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery said the company continued to advocate for policy settings that would drive the country’s competitiveness and enabling the resources sector to thrive.

“Australia has a once in a generation opportunity to grasp the immense opportunities of the demand for resources in the global energy transition,” she said.

“Doing so will rely on Australia putting in place the right policy settings to enable us to keep pace with other mining nations, which are already outcompeting with Australia.”

BHP pointed out the company employs 14,000 people across its projects statewide and contributed 11 per cent of all government revenue in the last financial year.

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