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Also this year, Panoramic Resources’ Savannah nickel project in WA’s Kimberley was suspended by administrators with 140 jobs lost and Andrew Forrest’s Wyloo Metals said it would shut its three WA nickel mines it bought less than a year ago for $760 million.

BHP, the giant of nickel in WA, will announce by August the future of its 3000-strong workforce in the Goldfields and Kwinana.

Adrienne LaBombard, chief executive of mining and gas lobby group the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, said some WA miners found it challenging to remain globally competitive.

“The WA resources sector is experiencing significant inflationary pressures that work against us when compared with companies in other jurisdictions,” she said, adding that WA’s competitors also had lower safety, quality and environmental standards to contend with.