Via The Australian today:
Rio Tinto chief Jean-Sebastien Jacques says mining is one of the least-trusted industries and miners need to collaborate to reinvent the sector at a time when technology is throwing up both challenges and opportunities and communities are demanding more.
In a speech to open the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne today, Mr Jacques will tell the industry it needs to change to tackle calls for a greater focus on protecting air, water and climate as manufacturers push to invent materials to replace mined ones.
“We need to respond to the changes we see, and quickly,” Mr Jacques will tell the conference in the keynote speech.
…Rio yesterday released an ACIL Allen report that said it contributed $43 billion to the Australian economy in 2017.
Darkly amusing stuff. Why is mining distrusted? Perhaps it has something to with its manipulation of the political economy for its own purposes. Most often is uses a combination of lobbyists, dodgy economic modelling and threats to get its way on such crucial national interest issues as royalties and taxes.
Is offering more of the same today as a new Labor Government looms going to improve that trust? Hardly.
This is a warning for Labor to not mess with mining taxes pure and simple.
