AuBJ — February 21 — An explosion has caused A$3 million worth of damage at a Victorian milk processing plant. Nobody was injured in the incident, which took place in the early hours of the morning, but a fire tore through the facility at Longwarry Food Park near Melbourne. Country Fire Authori... Read More

AuBJ — February 21 — An underground mine in New Zealand has been forced to stop operations by government authorities after failing to report a number of safety incidents. The Spring Creek coal mine, which is operated by Solid Energy, was issued a prohibition notice by the New Zealand Department ... Read More

AuBJ — February 21 — OneSteel has announced a statutory half-yearly net loss after tax of A$75 million for the six months to 31 December 2011. The dismal results include an impairment charge of $130 million related to the write down of the assets of LiteSteel Technologies businesses in the US an... Read More

AuBJ — February 20 — A plan to introduce driverless trains to Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore operations has been approved by the mining giant. The A$483 million plan would see 41 trains that the company uses in the region fitted with software that would make them autonomous within three years a... Read More

AuBJ — February 20 — The Northern Territory Government has said that it is considering a A$35 million upgrade to Darwin Port, which would include an upgrade the port’s conveyor system Northern Territory transport minister Gerry McCarthy said that the move was designed to ensure the region was... Read More

AuBJ — February 17 — The country’s richest woman has made another foray into national affairs by calling for government offices to be moved from Canberra to Alice Springs. Gina Rinehart, who Forbes recently named as Asia’s richest woman, said that government offices that deal with natives su... Read More

AuBJ — February 17 — The entire Australian economy is benefitting from the mining boom, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), who said that the prosperity of the sector was unlikely to unsettle other industries. RBA deputy governor Philip Lowe said that high resources prices and boom... Read More

AuBJ — February 17 — The Government is to plough A$1 billion into two federal-funded clean technology programmes in an attempt to help manufacturers improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions levels. Minister for Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, launched the Clean Technology Inve... Read More

AuBJ — February 16 — Qantas has announced plans to cut up to 500 jobs after revealing an 83 per cent slump in first-half profits. The struggling airline has cited rising fuel costs and union action that forced the airline to ground its fleet in October for the loss. “We need to be ready to tak... Read More

AuBJ — February 16 — The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has certified its 400th Green Star project. The country’s leading sustainable building organisation celebrated the landmark after GippsTAFE Chadstone Campus Development in Victoria achieved a 5-Star Green Star rating. GBCA ch... Read More

AuBJ — February 16 — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that investment in Australia’s mining industry will continue to grow as long as China’s economy avoids a “hard-landing”. Fuelled by the growth of its resources sector, Australia has managed to steer itself away from the... Read More

AuBJ — February 15 — Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators are examining a twin-engine plane in Brisbane to establish why crew members were unable to extend the landing gear during a test flight. Prior to its takeoff from Brisbane airport the Toll Aviation Metroliner underwent ... Read More

AuBJ — February 15 — The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has named the person who will step into outgoing chief executive Heather Ridout as Innes Willox. Willox, who has worked as a director at Ai Group since 2008 with responsibilities for international and government relations, policy dev... Read More

AuBJ — February 15 — Miners could soon be able to explore for uranium in New South Wales as state premier Barry O’Farrell attempts to overturn a ban on the practice. NSW is looking to follow the lead of Western Australia, which recently legislated uranium mining, with O’Farrell noting t... Read More

AuBJ — February 14 — Queensland’s mining industry has been praised as one of the safest in the world by a report from health and safety officials. The Queensland Mines and Quarries Safety Performance and Health Report 2010-11 revealed that overall lost time injuries fell from 307 in 2009-10 to... Read More

AuBJ — February 14 — The Western Australian Government has revealed that a total of $14 billion worth of resources contracts have been awarded to companies based in the state since last July. Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien described the figures as further evidence that the state’s economy i... Read More