Minerals Council boss Tania Constable says sector ‘under siege’ as interventions undermine industry

The mining industry feels under siege and even “punished for its success” as a torrent of government intervention threatens projects and undermines competitiveness, Minerals Council of Australia boss Tania Constable has warned.

In a speech to open Minerals Weeks in Canberra, Ms Constable will also hit out at the Federal Government for pursuing industrial relations laws that have brought “conflict to every workplace”.

“And together we won’t shy away from calling this out,” she said.

Addressing a room that included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Ms Constable said Australia was on the precipice of a critical minerals boom that could reshape its place in the world.

But in a veiled swipe at Labor’s offer of tax production credits and rhetorical support for miners, she argued “all the incentives in the world and choruses of support wouldn’t matter” if basic policy settings weren’t right.

She said miners were confronting waves of “restrictive” policy interventions, including “reckless” workplace laws, complex regulatory changes and looming threat of “arbitrary” environmental approvals under the Nature Positive Plan.

“You could forgive our industry for feeling like it is under siege, or even punished for its success,” she said, telling Mr Albanese directly that the approvals regime must be “sorted out”.

The added burden of high energy prices and the geopolitical threats to commodity prices were also combining to undermine the viability of projects and scare off new investment.

“Each new regulation, each new tax, additional layer of complexity, and arbitrary decision makes it harder for us to compete against competitors with no such constraints,” she said.

“It is simplistic to suggest that mining can shoulder the burden of this new policy environment.

“Perhaps the more pertinent question is: can Australia afford the consequences if it can’t?

“We can’t afford to get this wrong.’

The annual industry sector showcase comes amid heightened tensions between miners and the Federal Government over new industrial relations laws that have allowed unions to force companies to the bargaining table.

Resources Minister Madeleine King recently described the “hysteria” from industry over a union push into the Pilbara, as she unleashed on BHP for its criticism of the new regime.

Ms Constable pushed back in Monday night’s speech, warning the Government of the economic risks of undermining a sector that contributed $74 billion in company taxes and royalties in 2022-23.

“We need the government to explain why it is so determined to tear up successful workplace arrangements and drag us back to the failed ways of the past,” she said.

“We do want cooperation.

“We don’t want conflict. But under these new workplace laws, conflict has been brought upon us.

“It is a deliberate design feature of these laws. Conflict is coming to every workplace, in every industry.”