The West Australian Government says it believes mining company BHP has underpaid iron ore royalties over a period of several years. The alleged discrepancy was discovered during an audit, the Government said in a statement. The Government said it was negotiating with BHP to resolve the matter in the best interests of the state. WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt said the underpayments amounted to between $200 million and $300 million, dating back to the early to mid-2000s. He suggested the audit was "routine". "It highlighted a potential difference of opinion, well, clearly a difference of opinion about backpay, effectively, of ... (full story)