Global mining giant Newmont Mining Corporation is planning to shift its Australian headquarters to Western Australia, adding to Perth’s prominence as a regional resources sector hub.
Newmont has about 100 workers in Adelaide, flowing from its 2002 acquisition of Normandy Mining, and it will progressively transfer these positions to Perth during the coming year.
Company spokesman Mike Duggan said the decision reflected the growing importance of WA, which was home to most of its Australian assets, including a half-share in the Super Pit at Kalgoorlie and its wholly owned Jundee mine.
The $2 billion-plus Boddington gold mine development, which is majority owned by Newmont, reinforced this geographic bias.
“The centre of the gravity has shifted more to the west,” Mr Duggan said.
The decision to move followed the retirement earlier this year of Adelaide-based Paul Dowd, who ran the Australian business.
His responsibilities have been taken by Perth-based Robert Gallagher, who is vice-president Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Gallagher works from Newmont’s regional office in West Perth, which has about 100 staff.
Other resources companies to have shifted their corporate or Australian headquarters to Perth during the past decade include AngloGold Ashanti, Woodside and Chevron.
Just as important, companies such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are transferring more staff to Perth so they are closer to their operations.
This included the recent transfer of BHP Petroleum staff to Perth.
BHP’s acquisition of WMC Resources added to the trend, with WMC’s Melbourne head office shut down and senior staff in BHP’s stainless steel and nickel business units transferred to Perth following the takeover.
The corporate changes have a big flow-on effect, with lawyers, accountants, engineers and other advisers in Perth better placed to pick up work that was previously done in other cities.
