WA Premier warns unions not to overreach in the Pilbara
As the union movement ramps up in the Pilbara, WA Premier Roger Cook has warned industrial action hurts everyone, and has urged unions not to overreach in the state’s lucrative mining sector.
Cook told the Australian Financial Review, which is hosting its annual mining summit today in Perth, that investors were watching closely for disruptions to the region, which has been strike-free for decades.
He said any industrial action could displace economic activity, and encourage companies to build their mines elsewhere.
His comments came after Fortescue Metals Group and BHP were dragged into bargaining disputes in recent months under new Federal laws.
Cook said the interest in industrial action in the Pilbara could be sparked by increasing wages for tradespeople in Perth, with the financial incentives to work fly-in, fly-out, reducing.
Across the nation and around the world
Here’s what’s making news across the nation and around the world today:
- The Commonwealth investigator into alleged Australian war crimes has referred concerns to the national corruption watchdog over how media appeared to know in advance about Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney Airport last month.
Today’s weather
Welcome to our live news blog
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog for Wednesday, May 27.
Making headlines today, a West Australian gun club says it had no idea two of its members had been targeted in a series of raids on sovereign citizens last year, sparked by high-profile police shootings in the eastern states.
May-Ring Chen and another man were members of the Canning Gun Club, which has about 600 members from across Perth, when they had their guns seized and licences suspended following the raids in October last year. The operation concluded after 135 firearms were seized, and 44 licences were suspended or cancelled.
Meanwhile, environmentalists warn a major river in northern Western Australia and its inhabitants – including the endangered freshwater sawfish – are under threat from a groundwater management plan that will result in the equivalent of more than 31,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools being taken from the region each year.
And environmental advocacy groups have called for a special electors’ meeting with the City of Melville over its contentious $4.7 million Leeming cricket pitch proposal.
Stay with us as we bring you the news of the day, as it happens.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
