More mining jobs could be on the chopping block if a state government refuses to tackle its unsustainable coal royalties regime, the head of Australia's most valuable mining company says.
Under Queensland's scheme, BHP's Mitsubishi Alliance business paid eight times the sum in royalties and tax that it made in profits, resulting in a call to mothball the Saraji South metallurgical coal mine, chief executive Mike Henry said.
The move, which came against a backdrop of weaker coal prices, will lead to the axing of about 750 jobs across the state.
"Government inaction is having real impacts on regional jobs and towns, and without change, inevitably, there's going to be more difficult decisions that need to be made," Mr Henry told BHP shareholders at the group's annual general meeting in Mel