Local Australian resource firms say financial institutions—driven by climate change—are constricting the industry by withholding vital insurance and loan services crucial for new mining projects. Leading some companies to warn that global mining conglomerates—who can go offshore for financial support—will become more entrenched as smaller businesses risk closing. This comes as a parliamentary inquiry examines the impact the financial sector is having on Australian exports. Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment, George Christensen, has said mineral exports generated billions in revenue for the country, and any impact on the industry needed to be scrutinised. Norah St. George, the chief financial officer for the Bloomfield Group—an 80-year-old company that employs 550 people in the New South Wales Hunter Valley region—noted in a submission to the inquiry that mining projects were dependent on banks or insurance companies to help fulfil environmental rehabilitation obligations. “In recent years, following concerted …