Received

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 72

BHP has used a global mining conference to take a swipe at Australian governments for getting in the way of critical minerals expansion.

"I wish I could say that all the settings are moving in the right direction, but unfortunately for the nation that is not the case," CEO Mike Henry said in Brisbane on Tuesday.

He said surging demand is bringing significant opportunity for companies, governments and communities, but also significant challenges.

"We need a massive wave of capital investment - perhaps an additional $US100 billion per year in capital investment in the resources sector - if the world is to get on track to meet the Paris-aligned 1.5 degree scenario,'' Mr Henry said.

But he said mining is regulation-heavy, and greatly impacted by trade, taxation, permitting, industrial relations and labour policies.

"What governments here, federal and state, should focus on are those things within their control to make investment fundamentally more attractive, not simply due to the sugar hit of a subsidy'' Mr Henry said.

"There is enough investment appetite for good projects under the right conditions."

He said the Australian resources industry needs better tax settings, faster permitting and an industrial relations system that delivers productivity, flexibility and competitiveness to drive job creation and wage growth.

"Predictability and reduced risk - under those conditions, the capital will flow," Mr Henry said.

According to Australia's science agency, the mining industry will take the world to net zero emissions.

"It's mining that accelerates global decarbonisation by unlocking the critical energy minerals the world desperately needs for solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries," CSIRO CEO Larry Marshall told the World Mining Congress in Brisbane.

"It's where we need to be heading, and it's how we all need to be thinking - an industry that will enable the world to reach net zero," he said, officially opening the summit.

Holding up a titanium rib cage, he said it is mining that takes a commodity, mineral sand, and turns it into titanium ink.

"That in turn 3D-prints a replacement sternum like this, that saved a man's life in New York," Dr Marshall said.

More than 3500 delegates have gathered in Brisbane for the World Mining Congress of scientists, researchers, company executives and diplomats, which is being held in Australia for the first time.

"We're not engaging in a race between countries but a race against time," leading energy economist Tim Gould said.

He said Australia was "extremely well-placed'', with world-leading reserves and access to cheap renewable energy.

But Mr Gould said the task was for like-minded countries to combine their particular competitive advantages, which may include a large domestic market, highly skilled workforce or established auto and manufacturing sectors.

He said the result could be a reliable and affordable supply of critical minerals and rare earths, rather than scarcity and a new energy crisis.

Mr Gould does not anticipate China's market dominance in factory-ready minerals will be reduced quickly, because it has been built up over many years.

A wider set of countries are on board for collaboration as Australia develops clean energy pacts with the US, Europe, India and Asia.

But delegates want to work from the same rule book on sustainable mining and international trade, fearing a new wave of protectionism or localised subsidies will shut out poorer nations.

"The congress is Brisbane is not just another mining conference," said congress chair Hua Guo, CSIRO's sustainable mining expert.

"We are tracking issues associated with a massive transition."

© AAP 2023

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 73

Flood-hit communities will see an influx of flies this summer after millions of dung beetles were wiped out.

Scientific monitoring across southern parts of Australia showed complete beetle annihilation in some areas.

Russ Barrow from the Gulbali Institute, which conducts agricultural and environmental research, likened it to mass fish kills.

"The lack of dung beetles caused by the waterlogging and inundation of vast areas is almost certainly going to lead to an increase in fly numbers this summer," Dr Barrow said.

"The flies then start spreading bacteria and you'll get massive breeding populations of flies because the dung is on the surface and not being taken down under the ground."

Dr Barrow said where the water lay on the ground and inundated the soil, the dung beetles drowned.

The beetles are considered integral to farming ecosystems, burying animal manure and producing fertiliser, while playing a role in minimising livestock disease.

"They remove the breeding ground for flies and parasites such as worms, which impact cattle and sheep," Dr Barrow said.

Roger Reid farms 4200 hectares near Deniliquin in southern NSW where some of the monitoring took place.

In October, his property received a huge deluge of rain.

"There would have been 800 to 900 hectares of country that went underwater," he said.

"We had water for months on the ground - nothing is going to survive under that for that period of time."

Mr Reid said the number of beetles was down significantly compared to the year before.

"One of the problems we have for cattle is a thing called pinkeye," he said.

"Flies spread those, so the less flies around, the better."

While scientists are predicting an increase in flies and disease in flood-impacted areas, it's not only farmers who will notice a difference.

"If you have higher input costs because you're going out and buying more chemicals to drench your sheep and cattle, or buy more ointment to put on the eyes, that's all going to be passed on to the consumer," Dr Barrow said.

The results were collected as part of a monitoring program that ran for five years and winds up at the end of this month.

Dr Barrow said discontinuing the scheme would make it difficult to measure the impact of dung beetle kills.

"It will be hard to assess the impact of the floods and to communicate that with the producers going forward," he said.

© AAP 2023

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 83

Alyssa Healy is adamant she will be fine to play in the white-ball Ashes matches after the wicketkeeper revealed she nursed a fractured finger on both hands through Australia's Test win.

A needled-up Healy dropped herself down to No.8 in the order during Australia's second innings on day four, before scoring a counter-attacking 50 to turn the match and set up the 89-run win over England.

It had initially been thought Australia's captain made the call to move down after recording three straight ducks in Test cricket, before she was dropped again on zero on Sunday.

But the 33-year-old opted to come clean with the week-old injury on day five, growing tired of being sledged by England and criticised in the media for batting at No.8.

"It's what happens as a wicketkeeper, you get knocks on the fingers," Healy said.

"Unfortunately for me it was one on each hand and it made it difficult batting and being able to grip the bat, particularly after keeping for 110 overs.

"I had a hit in the nets early (on Sunday). Just to see what I could do after keeping for a while and keeping a lot up to the stumps.

"So I was in a bit of pain out there, but all for a good cause."

Healy suffered the injury in a warm-up game against England A at Leicester last week, before scans confirmed fractures to her left index and right ring fingers.

Australia play England in a Twenty20 at Edgbaston on Saturday, before two other T20s and three ODIs follow.

Australia do have Beth Mooney as a back-up wicketkeeper in their XI if Healy cannot play, while Phoebe Litchfield could open in her spot with Tahlia McGrath made captain.

But asked whether she would be fine to play in the white-ball matches, Healy offered a defiant: "Yes".

The injuries also make Healy's six dismissals and second-innings 50 more remarkable.

After coming to the crease amid a collapse of 6-49, she counter-attacked to give Australia something to bowl at.

Ultimately, it proved crucial, pushing the target set for England from a little over 200 to 268, allowing Australia to build up pressure on the final day and bowl England out for 178.

"I got reminded of (the three straight ducks) quite a bit walking out there and also copping a gobful coming in at No.8," Healy said.

"It probably switched me on a little bit more than what I normally am."

© AAP 2023

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 73

More than half of financially vulnerable Australians cannot afford to pay utility bills on time, new Salvation Army research has found, as cost of living pressures continue to mount nationwide.

The survey found 64 per cent of those polled did not have enough money to pay bills on time, while 51 per cent had hardship plans with energy providers.

To save on power, 74 per cent of respondents pulled back on heating, 70 per cent reduced use of lights and 60 per cent cut down on showers.

Other measures included going to bed early to keep warm (34 per cent) and stopping having guests over (36 per cent).

"Having to decide whether to put the heating on to stay warm in winter can literally be the difference between life and death," Salvation Army's David Collinson said in a statement.

The poll of 1700 charity-seekers comes as stubbornly high inflation and a housing crisis puts the squeeze on households and after the federal government promised a $14.6 billion cost of living package in its May budget.

Earlier this week, analysis by Anglicare Australia showed a family of four with two full-time minimum wage workers was left with just $73 left after expenses.

Anglicare's report also showed a single full-time minimum wage worker has $57 left after essential weekly expenses.

A single parent with one child on minimum wage fell $180 short on essentials after rent, transport, food, education and child care, it found.

© AAP 2023