The Minerals Council of Australia is an industry association, notable for representing companies that generate most of Australia's mining output. It used to be known as the Australian Minerals Industry Council. The Minerals Council is an associate member of the World Coal Association.
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Lobbying
The Minerals Council spent $15.78 million on advertising opposing the Minerals Resource Rent Tax and Resources Super Profits Tax in 2010. The group spent close to $23 million in advertising during 2011 and 2012, then $1.67 million in the 2013 election year, and $60,541 in 2014. Three weeks before the 2015 Paris conference on climate change, the group launched a "coal is amazing" campaign. The campaign asserted that carbon capture and storage is "now a reality" despite only one facility operating in the world, and no plans to bring facilities online in Australia until the 2020s. In the 2015 budget, the Abbott Government cut $460 million from CCS projects.
Governance
The Minerals Council of Australia is governed by a board of directors. As of May 2015, board membership includes representatives from the following resources companies: MMG Limited, Glencore, Newcrest Mining, Paladin Energy, Wesfarmers Resources, Anglo-American Coal, Rio Tinto Australia, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Toro Energy, BHP Billiton, Peabody Energy, EDI Mining and Newmont Asia Pacific.