Condemning Governments is usually not a practical way for senior public personalities, but it has shown no hindrance for two of Western Australia's well-known mining and business heads: Sam Walsh and John Langoulant.

They connected with a horde of other famous names from the business community in this year's Queen's Birthday Honors List, together with eminent media purchaser, Harold Mitchell and Australian Competition & Consumer Commission Chairman, Graeme Samuel, who were both given the top gong, being selected as Companions in the Order of Australia (AC).

Mr. Walsh and Mr. Langoulant, who leads the Oakajee Port and Rail mining project in the state's Mid-West, said that they were humbled and flattered by their AOs, Officials in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

As Rio Tinto's iron ore Chief and Leader of Australian venture, Mr. Walsh has talked about regarding improbability over the resource super-profits tax, announcing that it will make it very hard to take decisions.

Mr. Langoulant, one-time Chief of WA's Treasury and an ex-head of the WA Chamber of Commerce, has varied from the WA Premier, Colin Barnett, on problems like state funds and his proposal in 2005, when he was an opposition leader, to construct a canal to shift water from WA's Kimberley to Perth.