Kerry Stokes’ warning the Pilbara would "not exist" if current laws existed in the 1960s has been batted away by resources and political leaders at the billionaires’ own industry event.
Media mogul Kerry Stokes’ warning the Pilbara would not have been developed if current laws had existed in the 1960s has been batted away by senior resources and political leaders at the billionaires’ own industry event.
Mr Stokes appeared on the front page of his newspaper, The West Australian, on Tuesday morning to warn the Pilbara’s resources industry would “not exist” under today’s approvals regime.
He was due to speak at Seven West Media’s resources technology forum on Tuesday but was removed from the final speakers list and instead addressed a private event on Monday night.
In that address, Mr Stokes said miners may not be “battle ready” to contest unions, argued investment could be diverted elsewhere, and warned bad policy left the state at risk of “missing out” on the next wave of success.
“We are here because of the sweat, hard work, ingenuity and persistence of the people who came before us,” he said.
“Building railway lines through the country that had never been contemplated before, building ports, building cities, the dredging of harbours and wharves.
“To achieve this standard of living for the next generation the same proportions we have had in the past will need a total change to the way we consider major developments.
“We actually wouldn’t be able to get it approved today if starting now.”
The octogenarian’s comments reflected broad concern in the industry about re-unionisation of Pilbara mines, declining attractiveness of WA as an investment destination, and malaise about lengthy and duplicated approvals regimes.
But they also came in a year in which more than $6 billion has already been committed by major resources companies to new mining projects in the Pilbara.
Nearly $15bn in Pilbara resources project dealmaking has taken place in 2025 to date, led by Mitsui’s $8.4bn stake in the Rhodes Ridge project.
BHP on Wednesday morning announced it would spend $US900m on a new railcar dumper at the Port of Port Hedland.
More than $1bn worth of port expansion projects are currently underway in Dampier, Port Hedland and Broome too, mostly funded by government.
On workplace relations, Mr Stokes said unions had brought the Pilbara to a standstill in the 1990s.
He said mine management had overcome this by improving conditions at work, which led to a decline in unionism in the region.
The Pilbara’s workforce in the 1960s and 70s was heavily unionised and was regarded as one of the most strike-prone industries in Australia.
The sector and region at the time were beset by poor infrastructure, shortcomings in employment of women, relations with traditional owners and workplace safety.
WA Premier Roger Cook said the world had moved on.
“Kerry [Stokes] was talking about the emergence of this incredible industry in the late 50s,” he said.
“The world has changed, but what we do know is that the mining industry is still backed by great entrepreneurs, people with determination and a drive to continue to innovate and bring productivity to their industry.
“We reflect on that in today's announcements around the Productivity Commission.
“You need government, government services, and provision of common user infrastructure to also be driven by the same passion around innovation and productivity to make sure we can continue to improve what we do.”
Pressed on stage at Seven West Media’s Resources Technology Showcase about union influence and productivity, BHP WA iron ore asset president Tim Day played a straight bat.
Mr Day quashed suggestions re-unionisation of the Pilbara could reverse the advancement of women in the resources industry, and argued the sector was highly productive.
“We have to find a way to keep that,” he said.
“There is a place for all the different perspectives.”
Mr Day said union influence would make for a more difficult environment, but that “any regime” could be worked under.
