MINING LEASES – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting launches appeal on royalties

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Original article by Jesinta Burton, Tom Rabe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-May-26

Hancock Prospecting will appeal a Western Australian Supreme Court ruling that it must pay hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties to Wright Prospecting and DFD Rhodes. The ruling relates to royalties from Hancock’s Hope Downs iron ore operations, with Wright Prospecting being the family company of Peter Wright, the business partner of Lang Hancock, Gina Rinehart’s late father, while DFD Rhodes is the family company of late Pilbara pioneer Don Rhodes. The dispute between Hancock Prospecting and the two other companies relates to decades-old agreements signed by Hancock, while it is understood that the ruling has been challenged on multiple grounds.

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, WRIGHT PROSPECTING PTY LTD, DFD RHODES PTY LTD

Liontown wants lithium breaks as prices teeter

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 7-Aug-24

Association of Mining & Exploration Companies CEO Warren Pearce says it is holding talks with the Western Australian government with regard to royalty relief for lithium producers. The price of spodumene has fallen to $US870 ($1,337) per tonne, and Liontown Resources CEO Tony Ottaviano contends that the government should intervene in order to avert a similar crisis to the rout that hit the nation’s industry. He has also suggested that the federal government should expand its production tax credit scheme to include the upstream processing of spodumene.

CORPORATES
ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, LIONTOWN RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX LTR

Hancock loses stoush over royalties

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 25-Jul-19

The Supreme Court of Western Australia has ruled in Wright Prospecting’s favour in the latest round of its dispute with Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting. The long-running dispute centres on the right to royalties from the Hope Downs iron ore tenements. The court has rejected Hancock’s bid to have Wright Prospecting’s legal action put on hold until the outcome of its appeal against a 2018 court ruling is known.

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, WRIGHT PROSPECTING PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, COURT OF APPEAL (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

Canberra puts its foot on the gas

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Original article by Nick Evans, Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 20-Jun-19

The federal government will put pressure on Woodside Petroleum and its Browse LNG joint venture partners to commit to developing the gas project. The current retention lease expires in mid-2020, and Resources Minister Matt Canavan has warned that the Browse partners risk losing the licence if they cannot demonstrate that they are ready to make a final investment decision. Fortescue Metals Group is among the companies that could potentially take up the Browse lease if Woodside and its partners are forced to relinquish it.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BP PLC, PETROCHINA COMPANY LIMITED

Rio find could spark a copper rush

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 18 : 19-Nov-18

The mining sector’s interest in the Paterson Range region of Western Australia has increased in the wake of speculation of a major copper find by Rio Tinto. Although Rio Tinto has yet to comment, it has established a mining camp in the region and taken up a number of exploration leases. WA Mines Minister Bill Johnston says he has had no talks with Rio Tinto with regard to its presence in the Paterson Range. Fortescue Metals Group, Metalicity and Carawine Resources are among the companies to have acquired mining leases in the region in the wake of the Rio Tinto speculation.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, METALICITY LIMTED – ASX MCT, CARAWINE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX CWX, INDEPENDENCE GROUP NL – ASX IGO, ENCOUNTER RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ENR, ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, SOLGOLD PLC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, WEST WITS MINING LIMITED – ASX WWI

Legal standoff leaves mining leases in limbo

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 18-Jun-18

Mining companies continue to face uncertainty over the validity of their Western Australian mining leases in the wake of a High Court ruling in 2017. The state government committed to legislating to ensure that leases affected by the ruling are valid, but it has received legal advice to the effect that the federal government must first make amendments to the Native Title Act. The federal government in turn maintains that WA must first amend its Mining Act. The WA government estimates that nearly 25 per cent of mining leases that have been granted since 2006 could potentially be invalid.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES

Nahan buries ALP’s $400m gold grab

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 5 : 11-Oct-17

Western Australia’s Opposition Leader Mike Nahan says the State Government’s proposed increased in the gold royalty was aimed at funding its election promises rather than budget repair. The 50 per cent royalty increase faces defeat in the upper house after Liberal Party MP voted to block the bill, which had already been rejected by the National Party and crossbenchers. The mining industry had also opposed the royalty increase, warning that it would result in widespread job losses.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ONE NATION PARTY, THE CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

Forrest ruling wipes out mining lease applications

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 10-Oct-17

A High Court ruling in August 2017 concerning mining lease applications lodged over pastoral land owned by Andrew Forrest in Western Australia has led to new mining legislation in that state. However, the legislation will not cover mining lease applications that are currently in progress, and Tony Bullen from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety says fresh applications will have to be submitted.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, FORREST AND FORREST PTY LTD, YARRI MINING PTY LTD, ONSLOW RESOURCES LIMITED

Twiggy’s court ruling has Roy Hill concerned over leases

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Original article by Tess Ingram, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 6-Oct-17

Andrew Forrest obtained a ruling from the High Court in August to prevent two firms from lodging mining applications over his Minderoo cattle station in Western Australia. The ruling caused concern that other mining applications previously made in WA may not be valid, including those made by Fortescue Metals Group. Records from the relevant department in WA show that Roy Hill Holdings has lodged new applications covering its namesake iron ore project, with a company spokesperson noting that the new applications were a "precautionary step".

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, ONSLOW RESOURCES LIMITED, YARRI MINING PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD

Gold royalty hike would ‘wipe profits’

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Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 5-Oct-17

Newcrest Mining CEO Sandeep Biwas says the Western Australian Government’s proposed increase in the gold royalty has already affected the state’s reputation as an investment destination. He says companies such as Newcrest may opt to redirect investment elsewhere if the royalty hike makes their WA operations uneconomic. Northern Star Resources chairman Bill Beament, Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland and AngloGold Ashanti Australia executive Mike Erickson have expressed similar concerns.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST, GOLD FIELDS LIMITED, ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI LIMITED – ASX AGG, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, THE CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA