Antinuclear

Tony Abbott pledges his troth to BHP Billiton and its uranium mine expansion

BHP Billiton has revealed it is unlikely to go ahead with all of its major resources projects

Tony Abbott vows to clear way for giant Olympic Dam mine, Courier Mail : By Mark Kenny  The Advertiser June 13, 2012
FEDERAL Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has committed to removing all obstacles to the Olympic Dam mine’s expansion and making its success a priority of the Coalition if it wins government.

He also said that Prime Minister Julia Gillard must give BHP Billiton a written assurance that the Minerals Resource Rent Tax will never be imposed on copper, gold and uranium – which are central to the expanded mine’s operations.

Speaking to The Advertiser before a two-day visit to South Australia
from today, Mr Abbott, right, said yesterday the Government should
simply “abolish the bloody thing” to ensure the project went ahead.

“No one could be more enthusiastic about the Olympic Dam expansion
than I am,” he said. “I want to do everything I humanly can to help
this expansion to go ahead by not having a carbon tax, not having a
mining tax……
While the resources giant will be one of the main contributors to
Labor’s multi-billion-dollar MRRT from next month, this will apply
only to super profits made on coal and iron-ore mines…..
BHP Billiton has revealed it is unlikely to go ahead with all of its major resources projects as it grapples with declining commodity
prices, slowing growth in China and higher operating costs……”If
the Government were serious ……  “They would also enter into a
project agreement with BHP to explicitly exclude, for the life of the
Olympic Dam expansion, any mining tax application to this
project.”……  On the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday, Ms Gillard
compared Mr Abbott’s unrelenting campaign against the carbon price
with fears generated by the High Court’s Mabo decision.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/companies/tony-abbott-vows-to-clear-way-for-giant-mine/story-fndfrjq1-1226393584935

June 13, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics, uranium