Australia should refrain from adopting more protectionist policies in the aftermath of Brexit in Britain and election of Donald Trump in the US, Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques says.
"The opportunity is there for Australia to gain ground," Mr Jacques said on Friday, speaking before the Melbourne Mining Club.
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Rio Tinto execs sacked amid bribery probe
Rio Tinto fires two of its top executives over $13.5 million in payments to a consultant who helped the company win rights to develop the world's largest untapped iron ore lode in Guinea.
"The uncertainty of Brexit in the UK, and the recent election of Donald Trump in the US, makes now a perfect time for Australia to grab the initiative."
The US was the second-largest market for the company after China, and while it was "early days" to predict what the new Trump administration would do, if its intention was to cut through red tape, "there could be significant benefits for all of us".
In the US, it can take between seven and 10 years to secure mining permits from the US government. Mr Jacques said if that could be sped up it would be positive for the company.
Miner's challenge:Â connect with public
Mr Jacques' public comments come after news broke of a suspicious $13.5 million payment made to a consultant helping Rio access the massive Simandou iron ore deposit in Guinea in 2011.
The scandal prompted the company to fire two of its 10 most senior executives last week. One of them, energy and minerals boss Alan Davies, has pledged legal action to fight his dismissal.
On Friday Mr Jacques repeated the same line he used at the company's public presentation meeting a day earlier, saying: "I take integrity very seriously. I take our code of conduct very seriously. For me it's absolutely non-negotiable. We must and will do the right thing wherever we operate."
He said the mining industry had failed to connect with society over the past 15 years, despite being one of the nation's most important industries.
Rio and the wider mining industry's challenge was to explain to local communities the benefits of their mining projects included more local jobs, and increasing tax contributions.Â
Rio Tinto has in previous years been accused of doing environmental damage, especially in developing nations.  The company also recently came under scrutiny over the level of taxes it pays during the Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance.
"But we need to do it in [plain] English so people understand," he said. "One of the challenges is we speak in corporate language and it doesn't resonate with people any more.
I know you Aussies are competitive in cricket, in rugby - why not corporate tax rates?
Jean-Sebastien Jacques
"We need to win the hearts and minds of our communities. Without that we will not  be able to build new mines."
"I don't think it's rocket science, but it's fair to say we have not done it in a very effective way and there's a need for us to step up our game."​
Australia could position itself as the global centre of mining technology.
Time to cut taxes, not increaseÂ
Rio, which has a market capitalisation of $60 billion, had no plans to relocate headquarters to Australia, Mr Jacques said, given that 80 per cent of the company's shareholders were based in the UK and US, and only 20 per cent were in Australia.
But Australia could pursue a larger market by forming alliances and partnerships with financial markets in Singapore or Hong Kong.
That meant having a "stable policy, stable tax settings and incentives for companies to set up shop and stay".
The need for the federal government to pass almost $50 billion in company tax cuts was crucial.
Australia's corporate tax rate at 30 per cent was "one of the highest in the developed world", he said. And other countries were cutting their rates, putting pressure on Australia to do the same.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is talking of cutting the country's company tax rate to 15 per cent or below, he said. "And of course, not to be Trump-ed, Mr Trump has talked, ahead of the US election, about a 15 per cent rate in the US.
"Now come on, I know you Aussies are competitive in cricket, in rugby – why not corporate tax rates?"
Rio was also escalating its fight against the West Australian Nationals' push for an additional tax on iron ore. Rio Tinto argues it would increase its cost base by $1.5 billion per year, and Mr Jacques said the company would continue fighting it.
"It's not about Rio trying to protect its profits," he said. "It's really about the long-term competitiveness of WA and Australia.
"With this potential new tax, we could end up in the situation where Australia is the most taxed place globally.
"If that happens, 'guess who's going to win' – I can tell you it's going to be Brazil."
China will grow
Mr Jacques also spoke about the future growth prospects of China – the world's largest iron ore customer – where he said he had been spending a lot of time since taking over the top job from former chief Sam Walsh.
"I've got no doubt in the coming two years that China will continue to grow and will continue to buy our minerals," Mr Jacques said.
He also downplayed China's debt problems, saying the US and European economies were built on debt.Â
In terms of China's long-term growth prospects, "we're cautiously optimistic", he said.
The company had no plans to increase its production of copper relative to iron ore, and would keep focusing on "the quality of assets".
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