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It’s a pre-Christmas surprise that will add even more stress to families struggling to balance the household budget The independent Australian Energy Market Operator says WA is likely to face a gas shortage next year, pushing prices higher amid an already crushing cost-of-living crisis . And the budget pain won’t only be felt through the household gas bill. The gas shortage will also affect manufacturers and businesses. That means it could cause the cost of just about everything to rise.

2023 | Statement from Tania Constable, Chief Executive Officer

Seven in 10 WA businesses are struggling to find workers for specific skills as they battle what the State’s leading business group has described as a “tax on success”.Rising operating costs are being fuelled by what the chamber calls the State’s excessive payroll tax burden — hitting small and family businesses hardest. “We know that WA pays the highest payroll tax in the country, despite the fact that our State’s finances are the best in the nation,” CCIWA chief economist Aaron Morey, said.

Australia will likely need gas for electricity, industry and exports for decades to come and politicians have been warned not to shut down technology options too early, new modelling reveals.“Preparing for only one pathway leaves Australia extremely vulnerable to developments that are outside Australia’s control,” the report says. “Should any energy pathway or technology face challenges in its deployment, it will be critical to have alternative energy sources in the mix to maintain energy security and affordability and to keep emissions reductions efforts on track.”

CCIWA chief executive Chris Rodwell said the biggest losers would be casuals themselves.
“Christmas is a great time of year for casual workers, many of whom are university students or working parents because they can take on more hours,” Mr Rodwell said.c“Employers will see casuals as a liability, knowing they could be forced to convert them to permanent after just six months if they have a regular pattern of work, regardless of any legitimate business reasons they may have to keep the worker as a casual.

The Government is already ending the year on an absolute shocker with the complete farce over the concerning list of people released from immigration detention. And now it has pushed ahead with controversial industrial relations laws and Tania Constable, the head of the Minerals Council of Australia, says the Government has started a “war” with the booming industry.

Minerals Council of Australia says the crossbench deal is “an act of economic vandalism” that would put expansion plans and critical minerals opportunities at risk. “This deal represents a complete breach of trust with Australian business and workers,” CEO Tania Constable says. “For the resources States of Western Australia and Queensland, this Bill represents a devastating blow that will reverberate throughout their economies and put a ceiling on growth.” These changes are yet another handbrake on productivity at a time it has already slowed to a crawl. The outcome will be fewer jobs, less investment and a compounded cost-of-living pressures.

Announcement could bring China a step closer to sources of imports beyond Australia and Brazil. British-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has confirmed iron ore production at its Simandou mine in Guinea, West Africa, will start in 2025, bringing China – which co-invests in the mine – a step closer to accessing alternative sources of iron ore beyond Australia and Brazil.

There were many “merry Christmases” bandied around during Thursday’s debate on industrial relations. Some of them were genuine. Others, like those from Michaelia Cash talking of employers hit by the changes, dripped with sarcasm. The Government’s surprise end-of-year deal to pass a chunk of the changes — crucially, including a crackdown on labour hire — has infuriated businesses which were sure they had crossbenchers in their corner. It gives Labor a win to end the year after a dismal few weeks. But at what cost?

Big business and miners have lashed out at crossbenchers and the Federal Government for a “sneaky” deal that has led to the surprise passage of changes in industrial relations, saying it amounts to a “toxic attack” on the resources sector. They have pledged to continue campaigning against the changes — and the Government.

Rio Tinto is set to commit $US6.2 billion ($9.5b) towards a massive African iron ore project, cementing the mining giant’s ambition to look beyond its sprawling Pilbara hub to deliver the next phase of growth. The full electrification of its predominately diesel-run Pilbara mining fleet will also be pushed back, after Rio flagged it would rein in its decarbonisation expenditure.