WA EPA rejects sand and limestone quarry

Court strikes down award limits on union delegates A Full Federal Court has ruled the Fair Work Commission (FWC) unlawfully narrowed workplace delegate rights in modern awards, ordering it to redo the award terms.The Federal Court found the FWC made three jurisdictional errors in varying modern awards to include a workplace delegates’ rights term.The court found the FWC impermissibly confined delegates’ representation rights to employees of the delegate’s employer, narrowed the statutory communication right and imposed absolute constraints that could unlawfully restrict the reasonable exercise of delegates’ rights.The ruling has sparked industry backlash, with Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association (AREEA) chief executive Steve Knott saying workers’ rights have been extended to engage with workplace delegates on the employer’s time and resources, provided only that they are eligible to be members of that union.“The laws create unprecedented new powers for unions, risk turning employees into de-facto union organisers, and apply across all workplaces, including non-union sites with no enterprise agreements,” he said.“ decision materially expands the scope of workplace delegate rights. It extends the right of workplace delegates, paid for by employers, to communicate with contractors and labour hire employees working at an enterprise, regardless of whether those workers are union members.”Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) chief executive Tania Constable has called the decision an “over-reach of union power”.“Today’s decision by the Full Federal Court to overturn the FWC’s orders that placed reasonable limits on the exercise of union delegate powers confirms that unions will continue to push for expanded powers which absolve union delegates of their obligations as employees and interfere with the normal performance of work,” she said.“The decision shows that the Federal Government’s Closing Loopholes legislation gives unions significantly more power than what the independent umpire determined was a fair and reasonable balance.“Australian mining companies are already feeling unprecedented cost pressures, including from industrial relations changes, mounting energy prices, lengthy and costly project approval delays and increased royalties – driving investment offshore to low-cost jurisdictions with poor environmental and emissions standards.”The MCA says it will work with other affected industries to closely review the decision and its implications and take further action as appropriate. 

Alcoa (ASX: AAI) will further modernise approvals frameworks for its WA mining activities as the Federal Government reforms its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.Alcoa will undertake a strategic assessment of current and potential future mining areas through to 2045, to provide a holistic view of potential impacts to significant flora and fauna over a broad geographic area and provide stakeholders with greater clarity around the long-term future of mining operations.Operations at the Huntly and Willowdale bauxite mines, both located in WA, will continue while the assessment takes place under a national interest exemption (NIE) granted by the Federal Government.The assessment does not impact the ongoing accredited environmental assessment of the future Myara North and Holyoake mine regions of the Huntly mine under both WA and Federal Government environmental legislation.Alcoa will continue to limit annual clearing to 800ha, increase annual rates of new rehabilitation to 1000ha by 2027 and deliver environmental offsets in accordance with the EPBC Act.Late last year, the Federal Government passed the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 to streamline decision making and overhaul existing environmental policy.While Alcoa maintains it has operated in accordance with the EPBC Act as it currently stands, it has agreed to pay $55m (US$36) through enforceable undertakings that acknowledge historical clearing. The funding supports the health of the Northern Jarrah Forest, including programs and research that improve habitat for threatened species and control invasive flora and fauna.Alcoa president and chief executive William F Oplinger says Alcoa appreciates the Federal Government’s recognition of the important contributions of its operations to the Australian economy.“We are committed to responsible operations and welcome this important step in transitioning our approvals to a contemporary assessment process that provides increased certainty for our operations and our people into the future,” he said.“We’re proud of our more than 60 years as a leading Australian aluminium producer and the role we are now playing in support of critical minerals production.”Ministerial decisions are expected by the end of 2026 and Alcoa anticipates that mining in these new major regions will commence no earlier than 2029.The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has called for rapid finalisation of workable national environmental standards and bilateral assessment and approval accreditation agreements.According to the MCA, finalisation of national environmental standards, accreditation of all states for both assessments and approvals would be a major step forward for Australian mining companies.MCA chief executive Tania Constable says Alcoa’s decision is a strong example of government working together with industry to arrive at an outcome that is pragmatic and economically sensible while still being focused on improving environmental performance.“This outcome will allow Alcoa to undergo a more rigorous method of assessment while guaranteeing operations and thousands of jobs in the local WA community,” she said.“The recent changes to Australia’s environmental laws will have a significant impact on our sector, and many are still working to understand the impact on their operations.“Faster approvals for mines mean we can deliver the critical minerals and other commodities the world needs quicker, responsibly and more efficiently.”

The WA Government has allocated $30m to expand a fee waiver initiative that will support Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Covalent Lithium.The initiative will offer a waiver on government fees and charges for the companies until December 31, 2027.WA Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael says Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Covalent Lithium have a vitally important role to play in critical minerals processing in WA and are a key component of the EV battery supply chain."The Government believes it is crucial to support these two strategically important businesses while they battle with volatile commodity prices amid a period of rising costs; that's why we decided to extend the crucial fee waiver initiative,” he said."This initiative provides support ahead of the introduction of the Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, which provides a 10% rebate on processing costs and comes into effect on July 1, 2027."The WA Government will also commit $5m in funding to develop standards for the reuse of lithium by-product in construction materials, aimed at reducing disposal costs.This follows the WA Government's announcement earlier this month of a $15m allocation for interest-free loans to help WA’s nickel miners still in operation and support the potential restart of idled mines and ramp-up of new projects.

Several explorers, backed by the Queensland Government, are leveraging the current global fuel security crisis to push for development of the Taroom Trough, which the state says could become Australia's first new oil field since the 1970s. Though the Federal Government is making efforts to minimise the economic shock of a fuel crisis, it does not change the fact that Australia’s dependence on energy imports leaves the country vulnerable.   Australia imports more than 90% of its liquid fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Since 2000, Australia’s importation of oil product has increased about tenfold, according to 2024 data from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Taroom Trough is a major hydrocarbon-bearing structure of the Bowen Basin, in southern and central Queensland, and the Queensland Government says developing it would bolster Australia’s long-term fuel security. With the first barrels of oil now entering the domestic fuel supply chain, the Queensland Government is pushing for major project status by the Federal Government to fast-track environmental approvals under the National Interest Fast-Track Assessment Pathway.  Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says streamlining exploration and production of the Taroom Trough is needed to get it out of the ground sooner. “Never again should we be left without the ability to generate domestic fuel supply,” he said. The amount of oil that could be produced — and the environmental impacts of the large-scale, unconventional development — remains unclear. The operation is currently only producing 200 barrels of crude oil a day, barely making a dent in Australia’s demand, with a daily consumption of more than one million barrels of oil a day, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).  Even at its peak, an average of about 800,000 barrels a day in 2000 as estimated by BP, domestic production still fell short of demand.  Australia’s oil reserves are also limited. Geoscience Australia estimates Australia’s proven commercial reserves are about 229 million barrels of oil. Given the amount of fuel the country consumes each day, this would only be enough for about seven months, according to the IEEFA. Australia’s unconventional oil reserves have the potential to be much higher than commercial reserves, but accessing these sources comes with a plethora of issues — mainly surrounding the use of fracking. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is making a more immediate effort to shore up Australia’s fuel supply in talks with Singapore, a crucial fuel refinery hub. Singapore has three refineries that have a combined crude oil refining capacity of 1.3m barrels a day, according to the EIA. Australia has a solid bilateral relationship with Singapore — the region is one of Australia’s largest refined fuel suppliers and Australia is one of Singapore’s largest LNG suppliers.  “Australia and Singapore share deep concern over the situation in the Middle East and its consequences for our region, such as the impact on energy supply chains and prices,” Prime Minister Albanese said. “ commitment to strengthen energy security, to support the flow of essential goods including petroleum oils, such as diesel and LNG between our two countries, and to notify and consult each other on any disruptions with ramifications on the trade of energy.” Prime Minister Albanese may be able to secure more immediate fuel supplies from Singapore, but that doesn’t change the fact Singapore relies heavily on crude oil imports from the Middle East to maintain its production capacity. Energy markets have remained on edge since the disruption introduced by the Covid-19 Pandemic and quickly followed by the global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.  Now, the ongoing conflict in Iran is rubbing salt in the still healing wound of Australia’s energy market.  On the upside, the US has agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Iran on the condition that ships be granted safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which has given some tentative relief to the market, although shipping in the waterway remains heavily restricted. Even if the ceasefire holds, restoring shipping flows, repairing damaged infrastructure and returning production to full capacity could still take months.