THE mining industry has warned that a landmark Supreme Court decision in a case concerning BHP Billiton could paralyse investment in NSW and jeopardise the state's budget and thousands of jobs.
NSW Minerals Council CEO Nikki Williams said the state government should be worried about the decision, which would lead to a bureaucratic nightmare making it impossible to do business, according to The Australian Financial Review.
She said mining companies would be forced to negotiate hundreds of access arrangements for even a small project, including with utility providers who had easements on properties for access to infrastructure.
Mining exploration would cease, industry growth would be stunted and mining royalties reduced, Dr Williams said, with obvious consequences for declining state revenues, which have been propped up by mining royalties.
NSW Resources Minister Ian Macdonald said the government was still considering the "potential wide-ranging and unintended impacts" of the decision.
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