National resources reporter, Babs McHugh has been with the ABC for over 10 years. During that time she's worked in pretty well every position available, news journalist, rural reporter, national resources reporter, program presenter and producer and acting manager and executive producer on various programs.
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Litigation specialists Bentham IMF plans to launch a class action against engineering and construction company Forge Group.
Topics: mining-rural, manufacturing, laws, company-news, stockmarket, perth-6000
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International aluminium companies are moving to countries where energy costs are much cheaper.
Topics: mining-rural, mining-industry, manufacturing, perth-6000
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The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) has hit back at claims high gas prices will drive manufacturing businesses to the wall.
Topics: mining-rural, oil-and-gas, electricity-energy-and-utilities, business-economics-and-finance, manufacturing, perth-6000
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The Federal Government has announced a review of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) in keeping with legislation and a pre-election promise.
Topics: mining-rural, alternative-energy, mining-industry, mining-environmental-issues, environmental-policy, federal-government, perth-6000
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Both gold and silver prices have risen substantially in the past few weeks.
Topics: mining-rural, gold, markets, silver, perth-6000
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Research by the University of Melbourne has found the term 'social licence' used by mining companies and local communities is a poorly defined concept.
Topics: mining-rural, oil-and-gas, mining-environmental-issues, community-development, perth-6000
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The manufacturing sector is pushing ahead with calls for the Federal Government to intervene in the regulation of the gas industry.
Topics: mining-rural, oil-and-gas, mining-industry, government-and-politics, manufacturing, perth-6000
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The operators of the Diamantina Power Station Project at Mt Isa in north-west Queensland are confident no workers at the site will lose their jobs after the collapse of engineering company Forge Group.
Topics: mining-rural, mining-industry, company-news, electricity-energy-and-utilities, perth-6000, mount-isa-4825
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The Maritime Union (MUA) of Australia has rejected claims that an increase in wages for seafarers will make Australian oil and gas projects uncompetitive.
Topics: mining-rural, oil-and-gas, unions, industrial-relations, perth-6000
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The ANZ Bank has confirmed that the board of Perth-based Forge Group has gone into administration after it entered its second trading halt this year when the bank declined to provide any more funding.
Topics: mining-rural, manufacturing, electricity-energy-and-utilities, company-news, banking, perth-6000, mount-isa-4825
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Coal exports to China, Australia's largest customer, are predicted to taper off within the decade as the country tackles serious pollution problems and energy security.
Topics: mining-rural, coal, emissions-trading, electricity-energy-and-utilities, alternative-energy, international-aid-and-trade, perth-6000, china
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A sustainability expert has raised concerns that the proposed design of the Direct Action policy could high favour CO2 emitters.
Topics: mining-rural, manufacturing, greenhouse-gas, steel, emissions-trading, environmental-policy, perth-6000
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High input costs and low productivity has seen the share prices of smaller Australian gold mining companies in South Africa plunge by 44 per cent in the last year.
Topics: mining-rural, mining-industry, international-aid-and-trade, perth-6000, south-africa
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Decisions handed down by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) relating to drug testing on mine sites have been called into question by the mining industry.
Topics: mining-rural, drugs-and-substance-abuse, occupational-health-and-safety, mining-industry, perth-6000
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A union plans to mount a legal challenge against urine testing for drugs on mine sites.
Topics: mining-rural, mining-industry, drug-use, unions, occupational-health-and-safety, perth-6000
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The small west African country of Liberia has emerged from a quarter of a century of civil war poverty stricken and with a shattered farming sector.
Topics: mining-rural, international-aid-and-trade, rural, perth-6000, liberia
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The amount of energy produced by natural gas soared in South Australia and Victoria during recent heatwaves, when temperatures exceeded 40 degrees for five consecutive days.
Topics: mining-rural, oil-and-gas, solar-energy, wind-energy, hydro-energy, electricity-energy-and-utilities, perth-6000
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The concept of foreign investment in agriculture may be fairly new, but it's been common practice in the Australian mining industry for more than a century.
Topics: mining-rural, mining-industry, international-aid-and-trade, perth-6000
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Large resources companies that export bulk mineral commodities and liquefied natural gas are likely to have a steady year of production and profits, but smaller miners are facing another tough year.
Topics: mining-rural, international-aid-and-trade, oil-and-gas, mining-industry, coal, perth-6000
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Resources companies are cutting back on capital expenditure to reduce costs and increase cash-flow as they look to reward shareholders.
Topics: mining-rural, stockmarket, perth-6000
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A Chinese-backed iron ore mining company will assist with funding for a predator proof fence in Western Australia.
Topics: mining-rural, endangered-and-protected-species, environmental-impact, charities-and-community-organisations, perth-6000
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A gold analyst says the lower Australian dollar protected local miners against the drop in the price of gold in 2013.
Topics: mining-rural, gold, business-economics-and-finance, perth-6000
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A new book about mining hopes to dispel some of the myths around the industry
Topics: mining-rural, non-fiction, company-news, charities-and-community-organisations, perth-6000
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The Western Australian Premier says governments should look to replace making cars with manufacturing for the resources sector.
Topics: mining-rural, engineering, manufacturing, unemployment, oil-and-gas, perth-6000
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Less than two weeks after he rejected a foreign takeover bid for GrainCorp, Federal Treasury Joe Hockey has cleared the way for a Chinese company to take ownership of an Australian mining company.
Topics: mining-rural, coal, company-news, takeovers, perth-6000
