The Days Of Mining Townships Are Over

BHP-Billiton has issued a warning to Western Australia's northern Pilbara region that the days of mining townships are over. The comments were made by the company's iron ore president at the Natural Advantages Conference in Karratha.

He told the conference that even though there are new mine sites in the north-west, they would not be accompanied by service towns like in the boom-time of the 1960s.

He says with the lower price of ore and a competitive market, mining companies can not sink the money needed into local communities. Independent MP for the Pilbara says successive governments have relied too much on mining companies to fund infrastructure. Mr Graham says it is about time more mining royalties were put back into the region. ©

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