Allens has had a close involvement with the Australian resources industry from its earliest days.
During the gold rush of the 1850s, the Sydney firm started by George Allen advised a number of exploratory mining companies, and then continued to play a key role in the significant transactions that shaped the Australian resources industry.
Allens' work alongside industry and policy makers places the firm at the forefront of the energy transition.
Queensland sees Australia's biggest corporate takeover
Brisbane firm Feez Ruthning was closely involved with the Queensland mining industry. At one point, the firm provided a desk for Australian geologist Don King, who was looking for coal in Queensland's Bowen Basin. He was employed by US miner Utah Construction and Mining Company, a client of the firm. The coal industry grew quickly, and by the 1970s, the firm was also advising Mount Isa Mines.
In 1984 BHP acquired Utah International from General Electric in what was, at the time, the biggest corporate takeover in Australia's history. Arthur Robinson & Co advised BHP, with Feez Ruthning advising on the Queensland aspects of the transaction. Allen Allen & Hemsley was also involved, advising the syndicate of banks providing financing. The $2.4 billion deal was unrivalled in size and complexity, and saw Australian company BHP 'buy back the farm'.
Activity ramps up in the west
Meanwhile, the global resources giants had also turned their attention to Western Australia, where it was discovered that the Pilbara (an area covering some 500,000 square kilometres) held what were then the world's most significant iron ore reserves. Arthur Robinson & Co negotiated the bilateral agreement between the Western Australian Government and Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA – now Rio Tinto) to access these rich iron ore deposits.
Another mining boom took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mostly driven by the energy sector. In 1971 the North Rankin gas reserve was discovered 135 kilometres off the coast of Dampier in Western Australia. This led to the start of Australia's largest resource project, the North West Shelf Venture. During the 1980s, it was the biggest engineering project in the world, and Arthur Robinson & Co played a critical role advising on what was then the largest non-recourse project financing undertaken in Australia.
As the mining interests of clients like Woodside and Rio Tinto moved west, so did some of the partners of Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks, and in 1997 the firm opened an office in Perth. In 2009 Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks was described by Chambers Global as one of the top five mining and minerals firms in the world.
Today
The transformation of the resources sector continues, and there is increasing demand for nickel, copper, lithium and cobalt for use in renewable energy infrastructure, electric vehicles and batteries. Reflected in the transition to renewable energy is recognition of the environmental impacts of major projects in the energy and resources sector.
Its work alongside industry and policy makers means the firm is at the forefront of this transition.