West Australian miners flexed their muscle to block a federal EPA last year. Will it be different this time?
- Written by Diane Dowdell, PhD Candidate in Sustainable Mining, The University of Queensland
This week, Environment Minister Murray Watt met with groups representing business, the environment, renewable energy and First Nations communities in a bid to restart Labor’s stalled environmental reforms. There was one group in the room Watt presumably had to woo hardest: Western Australia’s miners.
Last year, the WA mining lobby mounted an ultimately successful campaign opposing proposed changes to national environment laws, and the plan to set up an environmental protection authority. State premier Roger Cook also lobbied Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly.
Watt has pledged to revive the reform process and on Thursday claimed a compromise could be reached. The existing laws, he said, are “not working for the environment, and they are not working for business”.
Whether his efforts will be enough to overcome the scepticism of the mining industry remains to be seen. These companies have influence – and they will use it if they see new laws as a threat.
The mining state
The mining industry dominates WA economically, politically and socially. WA’s mining sector is substantially larger than the mining interests in any other Australian state. Underground lie huge reserves of iron ore, gas, gold, lithium and many other resources.
The sector funnelled A$267 billion into the Australian economy in 2023–24 through salaries, royalties and taxes. About $60 billion directly flowed to Western Australians in wages and salaries.
The leaders of WA mining companies see themselves, by and large, as doing economically vital work.
I have interviewed many WA mining executives for my doctorate, which is currently underway. One clear common narrative emerged: they saw mining as a national good. They believed their companies brought wealth and prosperity to communities, built infrastructure, and funnelled money into state and federal treasuries.
The justification is powerful. It underpins the way those in the industry see their work – and how they respond to any threat, perceived or otherwise.
It also dates back over a century. The link between WA resources and prosperity originates from the 1890s WA gold rush, which transformed the fortunes of the state. This self image has been nurtured through successive resource booms, from gold to iron ore to natural gas and more gold.
Many company executives see any duplication of environmental approvals as time-consuming, unproductive and economically damaging. A 2023 WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry report suggested “green tape” (approval delays) was threatening 40% of mining proposals in the pipeline.
Miners and their political backers often frame the industry as environmentally positive, particularly for resources vital to the green energy transition such as lithium, rare earth elements and – more controversially – gas.
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King – who is West Australian – regularly draws this link. As she said in 2023:
let me be clear, the global clean energy transition will need more mining, not less […] the road to net zero runs through the Australian resources sector.
Wielding influence
WA miners are represented by well-organised and well-resourced lobbying bodies such as the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA, the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, and the Minerals Council of Australia.
These groups maintain relationships with politicians at both state and federal levels, regardless of which party is in power.
Broadly, their goals are to promote the continued expansion of resource projects (minerals, oil and gas) under conditions most advantageous to industry interests.
Mining companies use these industry lobby groups to support or critique government policy and push for changes. They exert influence through targeted lobbying, close relationships with elected officials and political candidates, and direct engagement with federal processes.
What happens when the sector sees a potential threat from policymakers in Canberra? Often, the mining companies unify against it.
For example, WA miners were prominent in the 2010 campaign against efforts by the Rudd government to introduce a super profits tax on mining.
Why WA miners oppose nature law reform
A tax is one thing. But what did the WA miners see as the key problems in the environmental reforms?
One issue was a perceived contradiction between the federal government’s intention to streamline developmental approvals and introduce a federal Environmental Protection Agency, while failing to deal with existing duplication between state and federal processes.
The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies lobby group gave another reason in a submission to government: the proposed independence of the EPA would remove the discretionary power of the minister.
Rather than an independent federal EPA, they pushed for a model similar to the WA version – the advice of which the minister can overrule. The group also warned the laws would impede the global competitiveness of the mining industry and hinder investment.
The state government echoed these statements, calling the reforms an overreach that would stifle economic development.
This alignment of government and industry messaging shows how closely their interests are intertwined.
Premier Roger Cook leaves no ambiguity about this. Ahead of this year’s WA and federal elections, Cook warned the “latte sippers” over east:
do not for a moment think that we will stand by idly and allow you to damage our economy because, ultimately, it will damage your standard of living.
Is a deal possible?
Across Australia, there is broad support for environmental law reform, because the current national laws are seen as not fit for purpose.
Murray Watt came to the role of environment minister with a reputation as a fixer. The question now is, what will he trade to get the miners on side?
The industry will be cautious and will insist on much more detail about any changes. It’s possible a deal could be struck. But we can expect to continue to see very strong pushback if Watt tries to expand federal powers into what is seen as state responsibilities.
The industry will also expect greater federal resourcing for delivery of timely approvals. Nationally important industries don’t like to wait.
Authors: Diane Dowdell, PhD Candidate in Sustainable Mining, The University of Queensland
