Brendon Grylls has snatched back leadership of the WA Nationals and will press the Barnett government to support his plan to slug BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto with a $5 per tonne mining tax.
A move flagged by National Party leadership challenger Brendon Grylls to effectively double the rate of the royalty paid by the state's two biggest iron ore miners would make Western Australia one of the most punitive jurisdictions for taxes on production of the commodity.
Legend Mining has sold its stake in gold and nickel miner Independence Group for $4 million, with the local explorer netting about $2.5 million profit from the sale.
Local innovators and resources industry professionals, including Karara Mining, Barminco and Fortescue Metals Group, were recognised at two separate awards ceremonies held this week.
Craig Munro-chaired Gulf Manganese Corporation has received a $US10 million ($A13 million) equity commitment from an Indonesian investor to progress development of its Kupang smelting hub in West Timor.
Shares in mining equipment supplier Emeco Holdings were up 50 per cent today after the company revealed an earnings uplift despite continued tough conditions.
Diversified miner Metals X has confirmed a $115.6 million capital raising and plans to demerge its gold assets into a new company, which will be led by existing chief executive Peter Cook.
The employment market for geoscientists improved in the three months to June, in a sign that the resources industry might have reached the bottom in this cycle, although more than a third are still getting less than their desired amount of work.
The environmental watchdog has recommended rejection of a new uranium mine in the Goldfields after the proposal failed to meet one of nine strict factors.
Rio Tinto says it will spend $US338 million developing its Silvergrass iron ore mine in the Pilbara, on the same day it disclosed a slump in underlying earnings and dividend payments.
Kerry Stokes' diversified media, mining equipment and energy group, Seven Group Holdings, has swung to an annual profit and is cautiously confident that trading conditions will stabilise this year.
Prominent businessman Ian Middlemas will now chair 11 companies concurrently after replacing Craig Burton as chairman of niobium hopeful Cradle Resources.
Perth's commercial property sector is reeling from the simultaneous downturn in iron ore and oil and gas, but the WA capital is not alone among global resources hubs.
Northern Star Resources has cut its production guidance after agreeing to sell its Plutonic gold mine in Western Australia for an inital $37.5 million, but it plans to spend $130 million on exploration and expansion work at its other assets.
Mineral sands miner Iluka Resources has revealed it is in takeover talks with London-listed Sierra Rutile, an Africa-focused miner with a market cap of about $400 million.
Iron ore shipments contributed more than $45 billion to the Western Australian economy in the 12 months to June, a figure well down on last year, according to BNiQ, despite a pick-up in volumes by the state's major producers.
Tempo Australia has expanded its service offering with the acquisition of local electrical, telecom and data communications contractor Cablelogic for an undisclosed sum.
Gold miner Barrick Gold today announced its intention to sell its 50 per cent stake in Kalgoorlie's iconic Super Pit, which is Western Australia's second largest gold mine.
Blackham Resources managing director Bryan Dixon has flagged plans to boost production at the miner's Wiluna gold plant, as its shares lifted 10 per cent today.
Power generation company Pacific Energy has won an eight-year contract extension to continue providing services at St Barbara's Gwalia gold mine in Leonora.
Padbury Mining and two of its directors have entered into a settlement agreement with the corporate watchdog over misleading statements made last year, but they could still face penalties in the Federal Court later this week.
