Mining

Former Greens leader and outgoing senator Bob Brown has compared the fight over a proposed $30 billion Kimberley gas hub with his successful Franklin River dam campaign.

Oil company Shell will close a Sydney refinery in September, creating uncertainty for up to 275 employees and at least 100 contractors.

The Business Council of Australia has warned the nation's unprecedented pipeline of investment is at risk because of high costs and low productivity.

The Queensland government has warned a squabble with Canberra over environmental approval for the $6.4 billion Alpha coal mine project could continue indefinitely.

GR Engineering Services’ share price has slumped to $1 after the company disclosed it was involved in a complex legal dispute with former client Allied Gold.

Rail freight company QR National has announced that it plans to cut 500 jobs.The redundancies are part of what it is calling its restructure and reform program which it began last year.

Brian Gilbertson's Jupiter Mines has appointed a new chief executive after incumbent Richard Mehan announced his resignation.

Australia posted a much larger current account deficit in the first three months of 2012, mainly due to a large rise in mining equipment imports.

The federal government has suspended the approval process for the $6.4 billion Alpha coal mine project in Queensland.

The creation of Australia's largest listed pure-play coal company appears a certainty after Gloucester Coal's shareholders approved a merger deal with Chinese state-owned company Yancoal Australia.

Mining and civil contractor NRW Holdings has secured $148 million of work with Fortescue Metals Group, less than a fortnight after signing a $129 million contract with BHP Billiton.

Apache Energy won court approval late Friday to release two documents that support its view that it took reasonable steps to maintain a pipeline at the Varanus Island gas plant prior to a June 2008

Export commodity prices fell to a 17-month low in May.

More effort needs to be put into luring labour from the eastern states to Western Australia, say some of the nation's top executives.

Australia's largest goldminer Newcrest Mining says it would not be further expanding its Australian operations while costs remain high.

 Norton Gold Fields is recommending its shareholders accept a friendly $229 million takeover offer from China's biggest gold company.

The West Australian Farmers Federation has called on the state government to impose a moratorium on gas fracking amid concerns about unknown environmental impacts.

Fortescue Metals Group boss Neville Power says he is confident China's continued growth will help the company generate enough cashflow to pay down its large debt.

BHP Billiton's proposed $20 billion expansion of its outer harbour project in the Pilbara has received federal environment approval, but the board's decision to proceed won't be made for sever

Engineering firm UGL has won $190 million in contracts to supply and maintain freight locomotives for four different companies, including Rio Tinto's Pilbara mining operations.

Federal MPs have backed away from reports that a debate over the hiring of foreign workers for big mining projects may send xenophobic messages to overseas investors.

Thousands of workers have ended a week-long strike at six Queensland coal mines but unions say more industrial action is likely.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned the mining industry Australians want and deserve a share of the nation's resources boom and reminded its leaders they don't "own" the minerals in ground.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dismissed a Minerals Council of Australia report suggesting BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam expansion project in South Australia is in doubt.

Federal independent MP Rob Oakeshott has challenged Western Australian mining magnates to send a plane to his electorate.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says the mining industry will be able to use new migration agreements to deal with rising labour needs that can't always be met by the domestic pool of workers.

Programmed Maintenance Services, a company that has tripled its profit by providing staff and services to booming mining industry, says it has no trouble finding Australian workers for resources pr

Aurora Oil & Gas has reaffirmed to its shareholders its commitment to pushing ahead with a $107 million takeover bid for Eureka Energy.

Wolf Minerals has completed a $5 million capital raising to provide additional funds as it seeks to finalise financing arrangements for its Hemerdon tungsten and tin project in the United Kingdom.

Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer has bought into a brawl at explorer Central Petroleum, demanding sacked founding boss John Heugh be reinstated.