Latest news with #Treadgold
The Age
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Socceroos fans furious after hitting FIFA World Cup qualifier paywall
Socceroos fans who woke at 4am on Tuesday to watch their team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were surprised to find themselves locked behind the Paramount+ paywall, despite other qualifying matches being broadcast on free-to-air television. 'What will be said in offices around Australia today? 'Really? [Didn't you watch it?]'. 'No, I couldn't watch it. I don't have Paramount',' said one X user, as others claimed the cost of a subscription wouldn't help build a fan base. Blayne Treadgold, secretary of the Football Supporters Association Australia, said the Socceroos and Matildas were 'for everyone' and that it was important for major games to be accessible to fans. 'The more eyes that we can get on these games, the more benefit there is for the game itself,' said Treadgold, who said access to the sport was vital for 'encouraging and inspiring that next generation to get involved in the game, whether that be in a playing capacity or a supporter capacity'. 'From a fan perspective, [free-to-air television] is hugely important, but the other side of the coin, which we understand, is [that] there's also a commercial reality for the sport itself. That funding needs to come from somewhere, like any other sport. Much of it comes from the ability to sell broadcasting rights. I guess it's about finding that balance,' he said. Wednesday morning's game was behind a paywall because of quirks in Australia's anti-siphoning laws, which govern what sporting events are free for Australian viewers. What are anti-siphoning laws?
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Socceroos fans furious after hitting FIFA World Cup qualifier paywall
Socceroos fans who woke at 4am on Tuesday to watch their team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were surprised to find themselves locked behind the Paramount+ paywall, despite other qualifying matches being broadcast on free-to-air television. 'What will be said in offices around Australia today? 'Really? [Didn't you watch it?]'. 'No, I couldn't watch it. I don't have Paramount',' said one X user, as others claimed the cost of a subscription wouldn't help build a fan base. Blayne Treadgold, secretary of the Football Supporters Association Australia, said the Socceroos and Matildas were 'for everyone' and that it was important for major games to be accessible to fans. 'The more eyes that we can get on these games, the more benefit there is for the game itself,' said Treadgold, who said access to the sport was vital for 'encouraging and inspiring that next generation to get involved in the game, whether that be in a playing capacity or a supporter capacity'. 'From a fan perspective, [free-to-air television] is hugely important, but the other side of the coin, which we understand, is [that] there's also a commercial reality for the sport itself. That funding needs to come from somewhere, like any other sport. Much of it comes from the ability to sell broadcasting rights. I guess it's about finding that balance,' he said. Wednesday morning's game was behind a paywall because of quirks in Australia's anti-siphoning laws, which govern what sporting events are free for Australian viewers. What are anti-siphoning laws?
ABC News
21-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
WA's iron ore sector faces new competitor in Africa's giant Simandou mine
Iron ore is the economic lifeblood of Western Australia. Last year alone, a quarter of the state government's entire revenue came from iron ore royalties, flowing directly into state coffers from the red dirt of the Pilbara. But WA's iron ore sector is about to face a new competitor in the form of the Simandou mine in the African nation of Guinea. Simandou holds one of the largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposits in the world. When is export slated to begin? After setbacks and delays, the massive mine is finally on track to deliver a fresh wave of high-grade iron ore to the market. Export is slated to start by the end of the year, according to Rio Tinto, the principal investor in the region. It expects production to ramp up over 30 months to a capacity of 60 million tonnes per year. And the iron ore from the Simandou deposit is expected to fetch a high price too. Tim Treadgold says the iron ore desposit at Simandou is very high grade. ( ABC News: Angela Ho ) Resources analyst Tim Treadgold said this was due to the grading process. The percentage of iron in the ore at Simandou is "very high and very good" at 65 per cent compared with the Pilbara's iron ore, which has "dropped" to an average of 61 per cent. While a few percentage points may not seem like much, a higher grade can indicate fewer impurities, meaning the commodity will fetch a higher price. Could Simandou be the 'Pilbara killer'? Not likely. The project has been dubbed the 'Pilbara killer' for its potential to dethrone Australia's economic crown jewel. But some economists and mining analysts believe the title is nothing more than a snappy headline. Iron ore royalties account for a significant part of WA's income. ( ABC Pilbara: Laura Birch ) WA exported nearly 950 million tonnes of iron ore according to the state government's 2024 iron ore profile, making WA the largest iron ore supplier in the world and accounting for 38 per cent of global supply in 2023. "Put it in perspective — 60 million tonnes against [around] 900 million tonnes. Well, it's not even 10 per cent. It's not going to put WA out of business," Mr Treadgold said. He also pointed out that mines start closing the moment they open because resources are finite. "Mines are closing every day, and you need new mines to come online to fill the gap. It's a perfectly natural process," he said. Photo shows Empty iron ore wagons on train tracks in bushland near Kalgoorlie. WA's Yilgarn region has been home to iron ore mining on and off since the 1950s, but the final trainload of the steel-making ingredient has arrived at Esperance Port. China is the largest market for WA's iron ore exports, followed by Japan and South Korea. Iron ore production rose rapidly from the 2000s to the mid-2010s, in large part due to demand from China. But Chinese steel production appears to be peaking, as the country shifts towards recycling its own scrap steel like the US and Europe. Mr Treadgold said this "natural progression" meant less reliance on raw iron ore, with recycled steel becoming a main source. "All the iron ore that's been turned into steel over the last couple of hundred years is still out there somewhere," he said. " You can call it an above ground mine. There's an enormous industry involved in collecting scrap and reproducing it. " But Mr Treadgold believed this did not pose a real threat to the local iron ore sector, as WA could provide high-grade supplementary "top-ups" to production, finding a "new place in the pecking order". Matt Grudnoff, a senior economist at the Australia Institute, agreed the impact from Simandou was going to be far from dramatic. "If it has an impact, it will be over the longer term, and we will see the WA economy adjust over time," he said. Matt Grundoff doesn't expect to see any dramatic effect from the output of the Simandou mine. ( Supplied ) "I don't think it would necessarily spell the doom of the WA economy. It's likely just to see a slowdown in growth." So what is the risk? While short-term effects aren't imminent, the WA economy's dependence on the resources sector has long raised eyebrows among leading national economists. "Financial planners will tell you to not put all your eggs in one basket. Absolutely, the WA economy has too many eggs in the iron or the resource basket," Mr Grudnoff said. Photo shows Iron ore stockpiles line up on a coastline China's cooling property market has seen iron ore prices tumble faster than expected this year, and the decline could see $3 billion wiped from the federal budget. How concerned should WA be? "Economic history is littered with examples of economies that were overly specialised, and then something came along and disrupted that market … and so those economies have withered and died." The best economies are diversified but Mr Grudnoff conceded this was "easier said than done". It's difficult to predict ahead of time what areas are beneficial to diversity into, according to Mr Grudnoff. "It's the government's job, not necessarily to pick winners, but to allow the economy to be able to grow into areas that it is particularly good at and expand in those areas," he said. But what if demand did dry up? House prices and unemployment rates in WA would be affected. With mining workers typically earning high wages, the sudden loss of employment would have an "immediate downward impact on house prices", as unemployed workers rush to sell, unable to service a mortgage. Photo shows A dump truck emptying a pile of red dirt into a very large mine - there are hills in the background. Whether WA can ever develop industries to replace iron ore is a pressing question that appears to have few answers in Treasurer Rita Saffioti's inaugural budget. "Yes, we would definitely see perhaps an uptick in unemployment. Yes, house prices in particular would be impacted by a slowdown," Mr Grudnoff said. "We've seen this over decades, where the boom and bust in the mining industry has caused these ups and downs in the housing market. "But more broadly, I think the economy would continue on, just perhaps at a slower rate." Loading
