Northern Star boss makes shock exit

The Queensland Government will overhaul the governance of Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), creating a new board and clearer accountability after a review found serious weaknesses in the regulator.

Freight operators warn proposed changes threaten industry viability Australia's freight operators have expressed concerns that proposals to curtail diesel rebates or mandate transitions to electric or alternative fuels would trigger significant cost-of-living increases and threaten the viability of thousands of small transport businesses. The warning comes as Climate Change Authority chairman Matt Kean backed calls to overhaul the diesel fuel rebate, suggesting the billions spent annually would be better directed towards electrification. However, exclusive survey data from Loadshift — a subsidiary of Freelancer Limited (ASX: FLN) and Australia’s largest online marketplace for heavy-haulage transport. —...

Securing Mount Isa’s future The Queensland Government held a meeting last week to discuss options for a viable pathway forward for the Mount Isa smelter. Glencore has previously declared its Mount Isa copper smelter as unviable and is undergoing talks with the Federal and Queensland Government to discuss the future of operations and protect the future of the region. The potential closure of the smelter has incited concerns surrounding the downstream effects on Australia’s copper value chain and the economies of the regional communities that rely on its mining and processing...

Landmark International Graphite agreement International Graphite (ASX: IG6) is set to develop an expandable graphite facility (EGF) in Europe as an equal part joint venture with Arctic Graphite. The company has noted Germany as its preferred location for the EGF which has proposed production rates of 3,000t/y and a capital cost estimate of $8.8m. Graphite Investment Partners (GIP), a major shareholder of Arctic, has committed to arranging at least 50% of the EGF capital cost estimate in non-dilutive funding and has issued a non-binding letter of interest to arrange up to $10m in funding. Produced...