Mining Weekly

Jac Nasser, chairperson of BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest mining company, is seen at a Chamber of Commerce event in Melbourne, where he called for a new Australian mining industry plan that has national productivity at its core. At a time of falling mining fortunes, he called for a more flexible workforce and a system of mutual benefit for employers and employees. He pointed out that mining accounts for half of Australia’s exports, 10% of its jobs and $20-billion in taxes. BHP Billiton alone paid $9-billion in taxes last year, which matched the Federal government’s entire higher education bill.