❓ Premier Barnett deflects questions about Rio Tinto's HIsmelt project, blaming the previous Labor government for allowing Rio Tinto to allegedly evade its obligations. He expresses hope for the project's restart and highlights government efforts to stimulate the WA economy.
AnsweredQoN 253Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RIO TINTO — HISMELT PROJECT
Given that the HIsmelt project was established pursuant to Rio Tinto’s obligations under a state agreement act, and given that it has been publicly known since December last year that Rio Tinto may seek to permanently suspend the HIsmelt operations, can the Premier tell the house — (1) When did Rio Tinto seek to be released from its state agreement obligations? (2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT
Given that the HIsmelt project was established pursuant to Rio Tinto’s obligations under a state agreement act, and given that it has been publicly known since December last year that Rio Tinto may seek to permanently suspend the HIsmelt operations, can the Premier tell the house — (1) When did Rio Tinto seek to be released from its state agreement obligations? (2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(1) When did Rio Tinto seek to be released from its state agreement obligations? (2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(1) When did Rio Tinto seek to be released from its state agreement obligations? (2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(2) What was the government’s response to Rio Tinto’s advice that 100 jobs would be lost from the HIsmelt operation? (3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(3) Has the government required Rio Tinto to put in place other measures to satisfy its obligations under the state agreement act? (4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(4) Has the government put a comprehensive counterproposal to the company; and, if not, why not? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
(1)-(4) I thank the member for Rockingham for the question. I also thank the member for the warm welcome that he gave me in Rockingham last week. It was a pleasure to visit his office. Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : It was very warm! Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It was very warm. Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : You would not come in for the cup of tea, though! Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : No. A short visit was all that was required. Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr M. McGowan : I wouldn’t have poisoned it! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The HIsmelt project has been around since probably the early 1990s, perhaps even the late 1980s. In his question, the member for Rockingham refers to releasing Rio Tinto from its obligations under the state agreement act relating to HIsmelt. I have to point out to members of the house that it was a Labor government that allowed Rio Tinto to be deemed to have satisfied its obligations for iron ore processing by its decision to go to the second stage of HIsmelt. So, I suggest that the member ask the question of the person sitting on his left, because, as the minister responsible, he—and the Labor Party—let Rio get out of its obligations. At the time I publicly questioned that decision, because the obligations that had been in place for the two iron ore companies in this state—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton—go back to the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, to let Rio Tinto get out of its obligations across all its operations in the Pilbara, on the basis that it had scaled up a semi-commercial and still developmental research and development project, was in my judgement absolutely reprehensible. Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Pilbara! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Rio Tinto advised me either earlier this year or late last year, when it made its initial announcement about cutbacks across its global operations, that the HIsmelt project would be scaled back; and of course it has now been put on care and maintenance. I would hope—in fact, I would be reasonably confident—that the HIsmelt project will restart, because it is an important R and D project, and hopefully it will allow the processing of fines in a higher-value market and using new cleaner technology. There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
There have been job losses in the mining industry—5 000 to 6 000—and I guess we could — Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr E.S. Ripper : It is 10 000 to 15 000. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Well, the Leader of the Opposition can argue that. There have been significant job losses. Western Australia is perhaps the only state in the commonwealth that has new projects not just on the horizon, but on the cusp of actually happening. We are pushing very hard for economic development in this state. It is the objective of this government—I hope the Leader of the Opposition will support it—that Western Australia will be countercyclical and go against the trend. I do not suggest or claim in my sense that there will not be job losses in different sectors of the economy. Australia is in recession. We may as well acknowledge that. This country is in recession, as is most of the developed world and large parts of the developing world. Hopefully if some of the big projects that have been talked about a fair bit in the media lately can succeed, we may just get this state through. The objective is not to just curl up in the corner and wail and carry on about all the problems, but to get out there and do the real things to get some of the big projects—such as Oakajee, the sinking of the rail line, the waterfront redevelopment, the LNG precinct in the Kimberly, and the Ord River project—underway. I will give one example. A lot has been said, particularly during the election campaign, about the approvals process. At the time of the election, there was a backlog of 17 000 mining tenement applications. Sure, the economic environment has changed, but that backlog is now down to below 10 000. The previous minister with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs took 25 days to turn around a section 18 application. That does not sound unreasonable. However, this minister is turning them around in three days. That is the difference—it is getting on with the job.
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