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Australia has half a million jobs up for grabs but is finding it near impossible to fill most of them. The Prime Minister’s $5.4b plan to make child care cheaper for families also forms a central part of his strategy to address the skills shortage. But Mr Albanese is also facing calls to encourage pensioners to return to the workforce. New Liberal leader Peter Dutton has pressed the Albanese Government to allow pensioners to earn more money without seeing their pensions being cut back — borrowing an idea championed by WA mining magnate Gina Rinehart and rejected by the Coalition. Currently pensioners can earn $300 a fortnight before their pension payments are reduced, but Mr Dutton wants the income threshold to be increased to $600.

1 July, 2022.

Estimates from Deloitte Access Economics have a 5 per cent rise in the number of over-55 s in the workforce as boosting national gross domestic product by $48 billion. The idea has long been championed by WA mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, pictured right. Mr Dutton confirmed conversations with Mrs Rinehart had helped inform his stance.
Mrs Rinehart said she applauded Mr Dutton “for the leadership he has shown on this issue”. “I would encourage the Government to not only consider the benefits to the department of eliminating pensioners’ paperwork but the revenue generated from additional income tax … and businesses then able to generate more taxable profits,” she said. Mrs Rinehart wants the Government to go further than Mr Dutton’s policy however, by eliminating any upward limit to what pensioners can earn, “and just let them contribute like other Australians by paying income tax” .

2022

Peter Dutton is in Perth for the second time in less than a fortnight , this time to spruik his calls for the Albanese Government to let pensioners earn more money without their pensions being cut back. WA mining magnate Gina Rinehart championed a similar policy before the Federal election as a way to help solve Australia’s worker shortage, but the idea was never adopted by former prime minister Scott Morrison.

“Posco Group and Hancock Prospecting have been cooperating since 2010 and expanding our partnership every year. We successfully developed the Roy Hill mine development project recently and acquired Senex Energy together,” The Korea Times quoted Choi as saying in a statement. “Our two companies can create bigger synergy if they work together in the business for secondary battery materials, as Posco has the value chain to develop secondary battery materials for production of cathodes and anodes, while Hancock has excellent experience and capability in mining.”

24 June, 2022.

POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jung-woo visited Australia to meet with heads of local resource development companies, the group said on June 21. Choi visited Western Australia and met with Gina Rinehart, chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately-owned mineral exploration and extraction company, on June 20 (local time). The two signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic cooperation in developing mines of important metals such as lithium, nickel and copper and the promotion of the hot briguetted iron (HBI) business.

South Korea’s steel giant POSCO Group plans to expand its partnership with Australian mining group Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd. into other types of minerals such as lithium, nickel and copper beyond iron ore, a key raw material for steel. The signing ceremony was attended by POSCO Chairman Choi Jung-woo and Hancock Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person.
Choi said that expanding the partnership between the manufacturer of EV battery materials and the mining group will create significant synergy.

South Korea’s steel group POSCO will expand a strategic alliance with its Australian partner, Hancock, and cooperate in the mine development and processing of materials for electric vehicle batteries, at a time when the global raw material market remains unstable due to price hikes.

“Posco Group and Hancock Prospecting have been cooperating since 2010 and expanding our partnership every year. We successfully developed the Roy Hill mine development project recently and acquired Senex Energy together,” Choi said. “Our two companies can create bigger synergy if they work together in the business for secondary battery materials, as Posco has the value chain to develop secondary battery materials for production of cathodes and anodes, while Hancock has excellent experience and capability in mining.”

Posco Chairman Choi Jung-woo visited Australia on Monday to assess the projects the company has invested in and to discuss business with raw material partners including Hancock. Choi met with Gina Rinehart , chairwoman of Hancock, on Monday, and signed an MOU on plans for mine development of metals and promotion of Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) business.