Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has been taken to court by the corporate watchdog for failing to lodge financial reports on time.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has been taken to court by the corporate watchdog for failing to lodge financial reports on time.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said Hancock and two related entities had appeared in court today for failing to lodge annual reports within the required time period.
The companies faced a total of 13 counts of breaching a section of the Corporations Act.
ASIC alleges that Hancock failed to lodge reports on time in 2010, 2011 and 2012, while Hancock Minerals and Hope Downs Iron Ore failed to lodge reports on time for five consecutive years from 2008.
The maximum penalty for each offence relating to failing to lodge financial reports is $13,750.
The matter was adjourned to Perth Magistrates Court for mention next month.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is directing the matter.
Meanwhile Roy Hill's major contractor Samsung C&T has come under fire from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
The CFMEU says it is alarmed that Samsung claims workers it brought in on 457 visas chose to consistently work 14-hour days of their own volition.
CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor said the union would write to Samsung, which has a $5.6 billion contract with Roy Hill, asking what it intends to do about a number of unfair work claims.
It follows media reports today of whistleblower allegations the South Korean-based company hired between 150 and 200 white-collar 457 visa workers who worked long hours for up to 30 days straight, including in roles that breached visa conditions.
Following the reports, Samsung told Business News it used an Australian registered migration agent and complied with immigration and other Australian legislative requirements.
However, Mr O’Connor said Samsung’s earlier response to The West Australian that employees were “managing their own work schedule of their will” did not give the union confidence.
“Now, are they saying that those workers determine their own hours of work? I find that very hard to believe,” Mr O’Connor said.
“The employer sets the terms and conditions of employment, they set the hours of work.”
The CFMEU has already written to the federal government asking it to investigate.
“We think they’re very serious allegations, we think they’re very credible allegations. And we want to see the government investigate these allegations … reasonably quickly,” Mr O’Connor said.
He said the union became aware of the allegations after it was approached by someone who has seen its television campaign about 457 visas in the lead up to this weekend’s Senate election re-run in Western Australia.
It is believed about 400 workers are directly engaged by Samsung, of which the union alleges 150 to 200 are employed on 457 visas.
The whistleblower told CFMEU white-collar 457 visa workers in Perth were clocking up more than 84 hours a week and being paid $16 an hour by Samsung.
About half of the workers are Korean nationals under the age of 30 and many are female.
There is also an allegation some of the work being carried out may be in breach of 457 visa conditions.
In The West today, Samsung denied it was underpaying workers and said workers were carrying out roles in line with their visa approved job titles and descriptions.
Samsung has awarded more than $3.5 billion in contracts to businesses in Australia through seven engineering, procurement and construction contracts and two design contracts.
A Roy Hill spokesman declined to comment on the allegations directly, saying Samsung was an outstanding company with great integrity.
“Its world-class reputation contributed to Roy Hill’s ability to secure finance from global markets, thereby allowing extensive economic benefits to now flow to this state,” the spokesman said.
