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Executive Chairman Speech
Roy Hill Christmas | Saturday 3 December

Hello everyone,

It’s so wonderful to be here with all of you for our Roy Hill Christmas annual event.

It’s certainly one of my favourite Roy get togethers of the year. Love the theme but must admit I did have a bit of trouble deciding what to wear for the Arabian theme. The idea of all black or belly dancers, well me in the latter, no! Definitely no! So, as it’s at night, I thought of Arabian nights and clear dessert skies viewing huge numbers of twinkling stars, and hence, here I am, bedecked in twinkling silver trying to represent star filled Arabian nights!

Hasn’t the team done such a magnificent job decorating for tonight.

Please join me in thanking them with applause.

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And I want to thank each of you who came all the way to Hayman Island in the Whitsundays to celebrate our day, November 22, national mining and related industries day.

You’ll see the terrific footage on the screens. Lots of work went behind the scenes, thank you to everyone who helped me on that, including our terrific MC for the night, Gerhard.

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We need to shout together far and wide how fantastic our industry is and remind everyone of its massive contribution to Australians.

In the past decade alone, Australia’s minerals sector has paid more than $254 billion in company tax and royalties. On top of that, more billions, tax on our salaries, GST, payroll tax, stamp duty and licence fees.

Let’s take a moment to think about the hospitals, defence, police, our elderly, nation-building infrastructure, emergency assistance and then some – all of which our industry has significantly helped to bankroll. Would we really want less of these without that $ 254 billion plus provided by the mining industries taxes and royalties?

And, let’s also think about all the things that must have iron ore to be produced, machinery to be able to make the homes we live in, the cars, busses, bikes and trucks we drive, the clothes we wear, and the machinery that helps to provide the food that we eat.

And let’s not forget, iron ore and other minerals, are also essential for the electricity we enjoy, even the solar panels and wind turbines. When you think of all the things we need electricity for, air conditioning, TVs, fridges, washing machines, cooking, lighting, hospitals, I for one would not want to live with little electricity, I’d prefer reliable electricity. I lived for years with part time electricity from the station generator, but I’m not recommending you would like that. At national mining day, I did ask, who would like to live without reliable electricity, not a single hand went up. So we need to ensure our governments know this. Yes, mining truly is essential.

Without our industry, Australia would not be able to have all this at the level we currently have, and would be even deeper in debt, which means our children and grandchildren, and ourselves, would face even higher taxes for many years ahead to pay off.

We cannot take our industry for granted, and so it’s important we continue to remind our family and friends, our cabbies and Uber drivers, dentists and doctors, teachers and pollies that Government must cut, not add to, onerous regulations, costs and burdens which hurt and delay investment. They need to understand that our essential industry needs to remain internationally cost competitive and remain reliable, so that we continue to bring benefits and opportunities to Australians for decades to come.

It won’t be long before you are all hanging up your stockings and starting to wrap your Chrissie presents, such a lovely time of year.

I especially want to thank you for all your hard work during the year.

Thanks to each of you, last financial year we shipped a record amount of ore to our customers and so far this new financial year Roy is performing above all targets and all being achieved with an improved safety record.

And wasn’t it brilliant that the Projects Team won Mine Project Success of the Year at the Prospect Awards last month, for the WHIMS Expansion Project (WHIMS 1.5)

Is Paul and Paulo and the rest of the projects team here tonight? Please let’s give the entire Project Team a big round of applause.

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That night was a record for us, across 2 awards nights held in West Australia, we collected 4 awards in the one night, we’d received 3 awards in a night before, but 4 awards in one night was a beautiful record for us!

I’m also proud of all of your tremendous efforts to raise one-million dollars for Telethon.

Along with the other generous donations from Atlas and HPPL, it will make a significant difference in the lives of many young people throughout West Australia.

Round of Applause for each and every one of you.

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I’m immensely proud of the company Roy hill has become, and hope you are too, with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and nationalities, helping to make us Australia’s best mining company.

I want to thank all those who contributed to the absolutely fantastic Roy night alongside the Roy railroad, with our pink train and 2 pink trucks, and the best wagyu in Australia! The screen is also showing footage from that night, a night I won’t ever forget. This fantastic night was held on the eve of the foundation of Hancock Prospecting, back in 1952. And as I have said the happy faces I saw and the feedback I’ve received, I think I’m the executive chair of the best mining company in the world.

Please join me in a West Australia rousing applause for each of you.

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And our project team have been working hard on our plans to expand, with multiple new mines and expanded port capacity, all subject to approvals and continued reliable teamwork. Gerhard’s responsibilities will expand to cover all iron ore operations from January next year.

Isn’t it terrific to have Gerhard as our CEO?

Please join me in cheering him on. Hip hip, ………….

Hip hip, …………

Hip hip …. ……..

As I always say, when mining does well, so do Australians.

I wish you and all your loved ones a very happy and safe Christmas and to all our people working over Christmas, a huge thank you.

Please enjoy the rest of your evening.