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Articles by Babs McHugh
Renewable fuel source for jet planes and missiles grows on trees and reduces emissions
Farmers in arid and low rainfall areas could be growing gum trees for the aviation fuel of the future. Researchers in the US and Australia have teamed up and determined that, of the 800 eucalypt species in Australia, the often stunted-looking mallee may be the answer. Aviation fuel produces 2 per cent of global carbon emissions, but it has proven very difficult to replace, or add to, as it has high-energy requirements.
Corporate watchdog ASIC says there has been widespread misunderstanding by miners on disclosure requirements
ASIC says widespread misunderstanding by small miners and explorers about tightening of scoping study requiments. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) says there has been widespread misunderstanding in the mining industry about its recently released guidelines. ASIC published an information sheet known as IS-214 outlining what companies can put into forward-looking statements, also known as scoping studies.
Trump facing infrastructure spending resistance as miners hopeful $1.3 trillion still on table
Miners are hoping President Trump will move to his rail rejuvenation and other infrastructure plans post-TPP. After tearing up the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a promise from the campaign trail, Australian miners and service providers hope US President Donald Trump will get through another pledge — his massive infrastructure spend.
Mining industry says Federal Budget is a 'mixed bag'
An election promise for an exploration tax incentive firmed up in the Budget The mining industry has largely welcomed the Federal Budget, despite some funding cuts and new tax measures it will have to bear. CEO of The Minerals Council of Australia Brendan Pearson says the Budget spreads the fiscal burden and the mining sector will continue to do a lot of the heavy lifting. "We've got $3.7 billion in new tax charges which will primarily hit the mining sector.
Coalition promises tax credit scheme for explorers
Miners say exploration is being squeezed as finance dries up. The Coalition has pledged to introduce a tax credit scheme for mining exploration companies. The industry has been asking for tax relief to help stimulate investment in the drilling and exploration sector, which has stagnated for years. Shadow Resources Minister Ian MacFarlane says the policy is for an exploration development incentive (EDI) to allow investors to deduct the expense of exploration against their taxable income.
Australia in global race for Chinese investment cash
A businessman says Australia is in a race against the rest of the world to secure much needed investment capital from China for agriculture and mining. The outgoing president of the Perth branch of Australian China Business Council, Duncan Calder, says Chinese investors have already been burnt by Australia's slow bureaucratic processes and capacity constraints with labour. He says these need to be streamlined or Chinese investment will continue to flow to other countries.
Diggers and Dealers: North American miners, investors butter-up the local gold industry in lure to the far north
Kalgoorie-Boulder's Diggers and Dealers woos investors from across the world to Australia's golden heart. The scent of mergers and acquisitions mingled with free coffee and frying bacon as the annual Diggers and Dealers mining conference in Kalgoorlie-Boulder kicked off its 27th year.
Farmers urged to register for backpacker tax rate or risk having to withhold higher rate
Employers have until January 31 to register to withhold the 15 per cent backpacker tax. Farmers and labour contractors that employ backpackers are being urged to register with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) to take advantage of the new tax rate. The new arrangements for tax and superannuation for working holiday visa holders, including a 15 per cent tax rate, started on January 1.
Increasing production from Bass Strait fields would keep lid on gas prices, consultants find
The McKinsey report says investment now in old fields in Bass Strait could put a lid on high gas prices. Increased production from existing gasfields, both on and offshore, is one way of insulating Australian industry and householders from future high gas prices. That is according to global industry and management consultants McKinsey and Company, which has released a report on meeting the gas supply challenge in eastern states.
Renewed demand and low stockpiles could make 2018 Year of the Base Metal
Want a nice cup of tea? You will need base metals for that. It may be Chinese Year of the Dog but surging demand for base metals and low levels in international stockpiles are all pointing towards 2018 also being Year of the Base Metal. Unlike the precious metals gold, silver and platinum — which are relatively difficult to find — base metals occur in many regions. The base-metals complex, as it is known, includes nickel, lead, copper, tin, aluminium and zinc.
Greater diversity on mining company boards needed as industry powers ahead in digital age
A Deloitte report says the male-dominated mining board needs to be reworked. The winds of change are sweeping through the boardrooms of Australian mining companies, fanned by the drive for rapid transformation. That is one of the key findings identified in the 10th annual Tracking the Trends report by business consultancy Deloitte.
Australia launches World Trade Organisation action against Canada over 'anti-competitive behaviour' in wine industry
Australia alleges Canadian practices keep the price of local wine artificially low. The Winemakers' Federation of Australia has welcomed the Federal Government taking formal action against Canada in relation to wine imports. Federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo has initiated dispute settlement action on the issue with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
ASX outperforms traditional rival Toronto Stock Exchange in mining investment as junior miners shine
Australia edged out Canada at $US5.25 billion to $5.23 billion in total mining investment in 2017. It is an international rivalry akin to the Wallabies facing the All Blacks on the rugby field and scoring a runaway try to win the Bledisloe Cup. It is a Commonwealth slugfest that you may never have heard of — Australia versus Canada. But this battle is not on the sporting field, it is in the boardrooms and on the bourses of both countries.
First aid kits, life-saving apps, medication lists all help prepare for emergencies on your outback holiday
Many travellers jump in to the deep end on holiday without adequate preparation. Summer in Australia means a mass exodus from cities to regional areas as families and friends hit the road for their holidays. Many head to beaches near and far, others set up camp on riverbanks, lakes and watering holes for their summer water fix. For a large number, summer also means the annual get-together on farms and country properties.
Maritime industry says the Australian shipping sector will disappear without legislative and taxation changes
The world's largest island nation, Australia relies on a strong maritime industry, something the sector says is being ignored across the board The peak body representing shipping businesses is warning the sector will disappear without action from governments, unions and business. The Maritime Industry Australia Limited, formerly the Australian Shipowners Association, says discussions and public debate about the sector tend to be focused almost exclusively on issues of industrial relations.
Soaring global demand for noodles an opportunity for Australia's wheat farmers
The popularity of mass-produced noodles is soaring across the globe. More than 40 years of a state-controlled rice industry in Japan ends in March with the country's farmers expected to move into the increasingly lucrative wheat-for-noodles market. The change is being seen as a new and valuable opportunity for Australian quality-wheat growers.
How digital mining and old-fashioned supply and demand made 2017 shine
2017 has been a shining year for gold, while iron ore and coal are also finishing up strongly. After four or five years in the doldrums, 2017 was by most definitions a good year for Australia's mining sector. It was able to consolidate on unexpected price gains in 2016 in its key export commodities, iron ore and coal. The shine that returned to gold in 2016 was burnished even brighter throughout 2017.
Coal consumption drops as gas and renewables chew into traditional markets
Global demand for coal slumped 1.9 per cent in 2016, a record drop in demand that is not expected to change until 2022. The International Energy Agency (IEA) Coal 2017 report said 5.36 billion tonnes of coal was used last year, the second year in row consumption dropped. That is a combined total of 4.2 per cent over the last two years the data has been compiled, which according the IEA is larger then the last two-year slump in the early 1990s.
Big shake-up predicted in oil and gas industry by 2020 from tracing ethical oil to tax office fines
Australia's oil and gas is in for a big shake up according to a new report. Accounting and business consultancy firm BDO has made a number of predictions of in its report 'Energy 2020 Vision: The near future of oil and gas in Australia. Almost 10 years and $200 billion later, the Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) construction boom has come to an end and the LNG sector is very much focused on production.
UN calls for international action on mine tailings dams safety and environment concerns
Mine tailings on the banks of a tributary to the Rio Doce in Brazil. A report prepared for the United Nations into failures of dams used in the mining industry has found, while the overall number has declined, the number of serious failures has increased. The report 'Mine tailings storage: Safety is no accident' also found the failures were largely caused by management and human error rather than a lack of technical knowledge.
New non-fracking technology close to market but scientists and farmers need more convincing
Non-fracking drill technology, being trialled by V2H Australia, uses less water than fracking. The jury is out on new non-fracking technology, which is close to commercialisation, as critics still need more convincing. A new water-jet drill, developed by a Brisbane-based company, uses a small amount of water compared to traditional fracking and uses a radial (horizontal) drilling technique in existing holes.
Robots and tech get vocational training tick as Rio Tinto joins TAFE in reskilling mine workers
Disable your screen reader before downloading. Playback starts immediately after pressing play. Use space bar to pause or play, and up and down arrows to control volume. Use left arrow to rewind and right arrow to fast forward. The rapid technological transformation of the Australian mining industry to the 'digital mine' has companies concerned that Australia may not be able to fill its growing and future workforce needed.
Rise of the female firefighter: Bushfire brigade ranks filling up with women
Female firefighters across the country are increasingly taking on frontline volunteer roles that were once the sole preserve of men. Traditionally, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service's volunteers were drawn from rural landholders with men fighting the fires and women in support roles. But the service has made a concerted effort to encourage women to take on a broader range of roles, including in rapid aerial response and remote area firefighting, to bolster volunteer numbers.
Battery storage proponents despondent about future under National Energy Guarantee
Some in the fledgling tech-metals mining and processing industry are dismayed that the Federal Government's new energy policy does not appear to support renewable energy storage such as batteries. Australian Vanadium chief executive Vincent Algar said the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) unfairly pitted the batteries and renewable energy storage sector against fossil fuel electricity producers such as oil and gas.
Mental health app trial has some surprising results for FIFO workforce
Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers who spend a longer time at the workplace are less anxious and depressed than those on a shorter 'swing' as it is known. That was one of the surprising results from analysis of data collected during the trial of an app designed to improve mental health in the workplace.
Mining, oil and gas companies in full preparation mode as cyclone season looms
The official cyclone season is one month away but many mining, oil and gas companies are already well advanced in cyclone preparation planning. According the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the average number of cyclones has traditionally been between seven and 11 a year. However, it now forecasts there will be fewer cyclones, but those that do form will be of much greater intensity.
Regional towns push for slice of lucrative business conference and events industry pie
Regional Australia wants tap into the business conferences and events market to add to its economic base beyond industries such as mining and agriculture. The prevailing view may be that business conferences and events are little more than junkets for those who go, but for the cities that host them they play an important part in that economy.
Australian miners back ethical supply of minerals as illegal mining in Africa impacts gorilla habitat
Extracting 'conflict minerals' in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda means loss of endangered mountain and other gorillas and destruction of their habitats The global thirst for the minerals needed for new technologies has unearthed the unethical practices of miners in some African countries The demand for batteries for smart phones, tablets, laptop computers and battery storage is fuelling a tech-metals boom.
Copper demand up due to surge in electric vehicles and renewable energy targets
Electric vehicles use four times more copper in rotary motors than a traditional combustion engine, fuelling demand for the metal. The increasing popularity of electric vehicles means demand for copper is rising, and that spells good news for the nation's copper miners and investors. Coupled with the demand for copper for use in new technologies, including renewable energy infrastructure, and the role it plays in pollution reduction, the red metal is looking at a buoyant future.
The 'digital mine' revolution is here as technologies accelerate
The so-called 'digital mine' is no longer a future prospect. It is already well and truly a fixture of the Australian mining landscape, and operators large and small, from front-end mining companies to the service industries, are a vital cog in the extractive industries supply chain. The mining and resources sectors have undergone more change in the past 10 years than in the past 100 years.
Diggers and Dealers: China's $11 billion surge on Perth Mint's gold brings miners their aura
Press play then disable your screen reader. Use space bar to pause or play, and up and down arrows to control volume. Use left arrow to rewind and right arrow to fast forward. The seemingly insatiable hunger from China for Australian minerals goes well beyond bulk commodities like coal, iron ore and increasingly LNG. Despite China being the largest producer of gold in the world, exports of Australian gold to the middle kingdom have soared in the past six years.
Gold fever strikes with companies scrambling to open mines as prices stay high
A 21st century gold rush is firing along in regional Australia, supported by a low Australian dollar and an almost insatiable demand from countries like China and India. The precious metal is living up to its reputation as a safe haven for investors to park their currency amid geopolitical unrest in the wake of Brexit, the election of US President Donald Trump and stagnating global interest rates.
Push to make Australia an 'innovation nation' drives technology and clever ideas
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants to position Australia as the 'Innovation Nation'. Mr Turnbull pledged $100 million to go into strengthening the ties between industry and academia as well as promoting a stronger emphasis on science and mathematics.
Industry Minister dismisses coal seam gas protests
The incoming federal Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, says the development of Australia's natural gas industry will be a priority. The resources, science and manufacturing portfolios have now all been rolled into the Industry portfolio, as announced by the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, yesterday. In particular, Mr Macfarlane says he plans to push hard for New South Wales farmers to rethink their opposition to coal seam gas.
Mining jobs increase across Australia on the back of surging commodity prices
Mining job vacancies are 70 per cent higher this year than at the same time last year. As activity and commodity prices across the resources sector ramp up, so too have job vacancies across Australia. According to online jobs site Seek, there were 70 per cent more vacancies in the sector for the month of May alone, compared to 2016. That is reflected in the quarterly mining jobs report by global recruitment agency Hays.
Shell finally sets the Prelude, largest floating gas facility ever built, on course to waters off WA coast
Shell puts world's largest floating gas facility, the Prelude, on the water to be towed to a gas field off the far-north WA coast. The largest floating natural gas facility ever built has left Korea bound for waters off the north west of Western Australia. The Prelude is the first floating liquified natural gas (FLNG) facility commissioned by Royal Dutch Shell, and it means the company will not have to pipe gas onshore for processing.
Tree deaths from dieback spread compared to coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef
One hundred years of growth and just two months to die is the stark reality of Phytopthora cinnamomi. Unseasonal weather across the country is expected to spread the plant disease Phytophthora cinnamomi much more than usual. It is also known as phytophthora dieback, jarrah dieback and just plain dieback. The steady march of the plant pathogen has some scientists comparing its negative impacts on flora and fauna on the land to that of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.
Australia must be China-ready to capitalise on its unique tourism, Deloitte report says
A selfie with a quokka on Rottnest Island is a must-do for Chinese tourists. They are cashed-up millennials in their late 20s and early 30s, they are social media savvy and are looking for distinctly Australian sights and experiences. They are the new breed of Chinese tourists and Australia is in a prime position to significantly boost the contribution they generate, a new report concludes. Industry consultants Deloitte also looked into Chinese investment in the areas of health and agriculture.
Junior miners smiling after Federal Government commits to new drilling and exploration tax break scheme
Miners say exploration drilling for the mines of tomorrow are harder to fund after the tax break was dropped. The junior mining and exploration sector is celebrating a rare win after federal Resources Minister Matthew Canavan promised to revisit a decision to axe the exploration development incentive (EDI). The incentive enabled an up-front tax deduction for investors who put money into drilling and exploration efforts in greenfields areas.
Government releases 21 new areas offshore for oil and gas exploration, including in the Bass Strait
New areas for offshore oil and gas exploration have been released. As concerns over the supply and price of gas grow, the Federal Government has released new acreage for offshore oil and gas exploration. They include areas off the coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, as well as in the historic oil and gas producing region of Bass Strait.
International investors moving back into mining and resources sector with tech-metals in demand
A sample of the rare earths being found shows Australia is rich in the ores, tech metals and rare earths. A resurgence in overseas investment in the Australian mining industry has been a reflection of the market performance according to several experts. Head of specialist resource broking house PCF Capital, Liam Twigger, said that the investments are reflected by the performance of the ASX 200 Resources Index.
Federal budget 2017: Funding boost for expanding gas sector, but little for renewable sector
Gas exploration, science and pipeline feasibility all get funding from the Federal budget. The Federal budget includes a number of multi-million-dollar measures to ensure more gas is available and shore up east-coast supplies. Investment, environmental research, pipeline feasibility studies and other semi-regulatory bodies are at the heart of the spend.
Second-hand mining, civil equipment up 41 per cent as industry recovers
The value of the nation's 'yellow fleet' of mining and civil equipment has grown as mining improves. In a sign of the recovery underway in the mining industry, an index of Australia's second-hand mining and civil fleet has found it has increased in value by 41 per cent. That represents a complete turnaround in the past year-and-a-half for the Ernst and Young Yellow Goods Index. Late model, low hours-used equipment prices rose the most, at an average of 20-25 per cent.
Petroleum Resource Rent Tax: Activists riled as federal review recommends no royalties, industry relieved
Former Premier Colin Barnett at Chevron's Gorgon site, a company that activists say pays no royalties. The Tax Justice Network says it is dismayed that the Federal Government's review of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) will not include a new royalties regime. Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison initiated the review in November 2016 and said its outcomes would be considered as part of the upcoming budget.
Manufacturers welcome intervention in gas market but want ban on exploration lifted
Manufacturers do not expect gas prices to return to historical lows. The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) says Federal Government intervention in the domestic gas market is overdue. The Government today announced it would impose export restrictions on gas in a bid to ensure there are no domestic shortages.
Gold price drops as Emmanuel Macron shapes up to win French presidential election
Investors are moving out of the safe haven of gold after the French vote. The price of gold has dropped to a seven-week low after the first round of the French presidential election. It fell to $US1,264 ($AU1,673) per ounce before rebounding to $US1,275. That was the same price it hit less than a fortnight ago after rising tensions with Russia, America and North Korea drove it up $US40 over two days.
Gold price drops as Emmanuel Macron shapes up to win French presidential election
The price of gold has dropped to a seven-week low after the first round of the French presidential election. It fell to $US1,264 ($AU1,673) per ounce before rebounding to $US1,275. That was the same price it hit less than a fortnight ago after rising tensions with Russia, America and North Korea drove it up $US40 over two days.
457 visas: Maritime workers say reforms fall short as miners see limited impact
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says the Federal Government has not gone far enough with changes to the 457 foreign skilled worker visa. It will be replaced with a Temporary Skills Shortage Visa (TSSV) which has two components — a two year visa and a medium term visa which may be issued for up to four years.
457 visas: Maritime workers say reforms fall short as miners see limited impact
The mining industry says the need for skilled workers is much reduced post-construction boom. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says the Federal Government has not gone far enough with changes to the 457 foreign skilled worker visa. It will be replaced with a Temporary Skills Shortage Visa (TSSV) which has two components — a two year visa and a medium term visa which may be issued for up to four years.
Next mining boom in Australia will be driven by tech metals for renewable energy and technologies
There are rare earth deposits across the world, but they are difficult to find in economic quantities. The Australian mining industry is on the verge of a new mining boom based around so-called tech metals. And as the race cranks up across the nation to find new deposits of rare earths and other metals, industry itself is calling for the development of a value-adding component.
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