James McClements

Social Ventures Australia has secured backing from three philanthropic foundations established by prominent businesspeople in Perth for the first venture in a new innovative local fund.

Work is continuing on the stage one expansion at Greenbushes lithium mine, according to Talison Lithium, despite the business hitting a legal speed bump in a dispute with Global Advanced Metals.

Talison Lithium has confirmed it will build a third concentrator at the Greenbushes lithium mine to boost output to 1.95 million tonnes per annum, but the owner of tantalum rights at the project has again warned the expansion will be subject to an ongoing legal battle.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The Pilbara has a diverse and colourful mining history, including gold, tantalum, beryl and lithium.

WA Super has announced it will invest $20 million in the WA Impact Fund, as part of its membership of the newly founded Impact Investment Alliance of WA.

Perth company Mineral Resources has announced a surprise addition to its board of directors with the recruitment of Santos boss Kevin Gallagher.

Peter Wade has stepped down as Mineral Resources’ non-executive chair after spending a decade in the role and 23 years overall with the WA iron ore play.

Mineral Resources has recruited Professor Colleen Hayward as a non-executive director, making it one of the few major ASX companies to have an Aboriginal person on its board.

The former head coach of Australia’s national cricket team will become an independent non-executive director of Chris Ellison’s iron ore and lithium business in January 2023.

Macmahon Holdings and Mineral Resources have recently announced major board moves with the appointment of new non-executive directors.

The Foundation for the WA Museum has appointed Anna Shave as chair, after two years of service as a board member and Investment Committee member.

Corporate regulator ASIC, giant superannuation fund HESTA and ratings agency Moody’s are among groups continuing to apply pressure to MinRes over its governance standards and financial health.

Besieged mining boss Chris Ellison says his offshore tax evasion affairs and corporate governance failures have been a “dark cloud" in his life.

A mining-focused private equity fund co-founded by James McClements has received a $117 million loan through the federal government’s renewable energy scheme.

Chris Ellison has paid the $3.8 million penalty handed down in the fallout from his tax evasion scandal as Mineral Resources’ search for a new chairman draws out until June.