Mining
Rio faces union push in iron ore
Two powerful unions have joined forces to try to take on Rio Tinto at its iron ore mines, for the first time in two decades.
Brockman joins rail access battle
Peter Ker Brockman's application for access to Fortescue's rail line appears to be an attempt to ambush Atlas Iron's bid for access.
Mining
BHP chief on austerity drive
Philip Wen BHP's new chief slashes the miner's capital spend, in a further sign of the slowdown in the sector.
Mining
Glencore Xstrata shelves coal terminal
Brian Robins Glencore Xstrata has cancelled plans for a coal export terminal in Queensland, citing the poor state of the coal market.
LNG
Oil Search looks to PNG for growth
Brian Robins Oil Search is hoping to boost the capacity of its gas export project in Papua New Guinea, with the addition of a further two export units, as it seeks to boost returns from its assets in the country.
Commodities
BHP sees lower iron ore price
Global iron ore supplies will expand faster than demand over the long term, potentially lowering prices of the commodity, according to BHP Billiton.
Mining
Fortescue nears asset sales
Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals hopes to sell part of its rail and port assets by mid-year, to pay down debt.
Metals
Future of Alcoa's Geelong plant in doubt
Philip Wen The future of the troubled Point Henry aluminium smelter in Geelong is back under a cloud after its American owners Alcoa revealed it was considering deep production cuts worldwide.
Gas
Origin explores LNG pipeline sale
Brian Robins Origin Energy has flagged the potential sale of the pipeline from its Australia Pacific LNG project in Queensland.
Gas
Woodside tie-up points to floating LNG
Philip Wen Woodside announces a tie-up with Shell, indicating that floating LNG is Woodside’s preferred option to develop its massive Browse gas resource.
Coal
Whitehaven battles weak markets
Phil Wen and Glenda Kwek Whitehaven says weak prices and the strong dollar are continuing to drag on its performance, but is optimistic prices will rise.
Intelligent Investor
BHP a good bet but could be better
John Addis The case against BHP Billiton is simple: buying its stock works out only in a resources boom.
Economy
Mining tax deeply flawed, Garnaut says
Leading economist Ross Garnaut has told a Senate committee that the mining tax is highly flawed and may never raise any revenue in its current form.
Resources
BHP, Rio pay mining tax; Xstrata doesn't
Peter Ker BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto both made payments under the controversial mining tax in the last quarter, while Xstrata paid no mining tax.
Mining
Setback for Aquila as Sumitomo pulls out
Aquila shares tumble after the miner suffered a setback to its plans to raise capital via asset sales to help fund a $7.4b iron ore project.
Copper
BHP sells US mine assets for $632 million
Peter Ker BHP Billiton's divestment campaign continues to gather pace, with the company announcing the sale of a copper mine and rail asset in the American state of Arizona.
Iron ore price to hold above $US110: Vale
Brazil's Vale, the world's second-largest mining company, says it considers the Chinese iron ore market to be robust.
Energy
Floating LNG as costs blow out
Escalating costs to build LNG plants on land are driving developers out to sea in search of billions of dollars in savings. But the challenges are huge.
Mining
Downer EDI cuts jobs at NSW coal mine
Mining contractor Downer EDI has cut 106 jobs at the Boggabri coal mine, following a reduction in production targets.
Regulation
Too much red tape, Chinese investor says
Philip Wen Julia Gillard has been afforded little time to bask in her recent diplomatic triumphs in China, with a major Chinese state-owned investor stressing his concerns directly to her over Australia’s...
