John Phaceas

MINING giant BHP Billiton has quietly opened a second front in its battle to prevent other miners from accessing its Pilbara iron ore railways, putting it in direct confrontation with the state government.

While Julia Gillard might be basking in the light of her new tax deal with Australia's biggest miners, the rest of the sector has been left asking what it all means.

THE dampening effect of post-crash market volatility on conventional merger and acquisition activity has left many playmakers looking to backdoor opportunities for corporate action.

THE state government has no plans to co-fund a new industry backed charity aimed at providing immediate assistance to the families of miners killed or disabled in resources-related accidents.

Rio Tinto iron ore boss Sam Walsh said the mining giant was "hopeful" that new prime minister Julia Gillard's offer for comprehensive negotiations over the planned mining tax was genuine.

GRANGE Resources is eyeing a significant increase in the scale and cost of its proposed $2 billion Southdown magnetite project near Albany to offset the negative impact of the Rudd government’s planned resource super profits tax.

THE findings of a two-year Senate investigation into Australia’s long-term energy needs will be deferred to allow a committee to quiz Treasury secretary Ken Henry over the planned resource super profits tax.

Fresh industry research has further undermined the federal government's justification for its proposed resource super profits tax, identifying major flaws in the economic modelling used to support the tax.

The Rudd government’s commitment to the resource super profits tax rests on its faith in tax architect Ken Henry. But holes in even some of the simplest statements by the Treasury chief have cast doubt over the assumptions underpinning the tax.