The Australian Federal Government's resources minister, Madeleine King, travelled to Perth today to speak to an audience of WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIWA) members to tell them…well, not a lot, really.

After profusely apologising for arriving late – Rockingham to Perth traffic is such an unknown quantity – Madeleine King stood on stage and delivered precious little that the audience most likely wouldn't have heard before.

"The Government I am a part of – the Albanese Labor Government – wants the resources industry to continue to do well. We want the resources industry to be there for future generations of Western Australians," she shocked the audience with. 

Having said that she did not need to tell her audience about how much the resources industry contributes to GSD or how many people are employed in the sector, she then took a Kamala Harris-esque stance of warning that "we live in an age of alternative facts." 

"In the coming weeks and months, Peter Dutton and the Coalition will attempt to argue that they better understand the resources industry and would make better stewards of the resources industry if they were in government. That, friends, is an alternative fact. 

"Mr Dutton, his Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Michaelia Cash, and Shadow Minister for Resources, Senator Susan McDonald, claim that all of the challenges facing the resources industry could be fixed through changes to industrial relations laws and by removing what they call red tape. This is false, and they know it." 

Touching on a bit of substance in her speech, and no doubt confident of a warm reception based on recent comments from the CCIWA, she sought to reassure the audience that a return to the eighties and the unionisation of the Pilbara is missing from the cards.

"I'm seeing a bit of hysteria about unions in the resources industry…the government's bargaining reforms are working as intended – our reforms were designed to encourage employers back to the bargaining table," she said.

Later, when questioned whether she feared job losses in the Pilbara, she said, "Absolutely not. I do not think that will happen. As I mentioned in the speech, unions, industry, and government have worked well together in the past, and I'm sure they will do so again. In fact, they do so right now. That's how we make it work. Better together."

Budget rehash

King praised the $17.6 billion Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, the $3.4 billion for Geoscience Australia, and the Future Gas Strategy—all of which were announced in the May budget. She referenced the gas exploration permits awarded to several gas giants—again, announced a few weeks ago.

She said she supported carbon capture and storage – again, in the budget.

She confirmed the nine greenhouse gas storage assessment permits that have been issued to companies that applied for last year's acreage release—all previous before today. 

And - quelle surprise - she repeatedly put the boot into the Coalition.

When asked whether uranium mining might become a reality in WA, she remained closed mouthed or at the very most toed the party line.

Likewise, on nuclear power.

Likewise on a possible timeline for legislative improvements to the approvals process.

Likewise, on why she opted not to issue any seismic survey permits recently, other than to say, "There's a lot of seismic data available…so it's my view that the companies should go to that data first and be encouraged to do so."

Even when asked if she was concerned by recent moves by Woodside to invest in non-Australian projects, she remained remarkably Switzerland-like, saying: "Woodside is a large international company, and it makes its own decisions. 

"I'm not concerned. They're right in the interests of shareholders and others to make sure they diversify what they invest in. That makes sense to me, too."