❓ Question regarding the Leader of the Opposition's comments on the Commonwealth mining tax and its impact on the Geraldton electorate. The Minister's response is highly partisan, attacking the opposition and defending the government's stance.
AnsweredQoN 255Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COMMONWEALTH
MINING TAX — COMMENTS BY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
255. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer the minister to comments about Labor's
commonwealth mining tax agenda made by the Leader of the Opposition in the wake
of Labor's disastrous results in the recent federal government Senate
election. Can the minister please address these comments that have caused
uncertainty in the community, particularly in my electorate of Geraldton?
MINING TAX — COMMENTS BY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
255. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer the minister to comments about Labor's
commonwealth mining tax agenda made by the Leader of the Opposition in the wake
of Labor's disastrous results in the recent federal government Senate
election. Can the minister please address these comments that have caused
uncertainty in the community, particularly in my electorate of Geraldton?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for
his very good question. I know he is a strong supporter of the mining and
petroleum industry in Western Australia, and is also a strong opponent of the
commonwealth's mining and carbon taxes. It was interesting to read The
West Australian on Monday, and I will quote from it. It is a quote from the
Leader of the Opposition, who states —
Just blindly keeping faith with
something that they didn't sell well and didn't raise much
money and was constructed fairly poorly is stupid and so that's my
message to my Federal colleagues now.
It does raise the question as to when it is appropriate for
the Leader of the Opposition to pass on such valuable information, especially —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
It might have been! Two weeks ago, the federal Leader of the Opposition gave his
in principle support to the mining —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order! Member for Warnbro, I am not surprised that you cannot hear. I call you
to order for the first time. Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the
first time. Minister, through the Chair, please.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
presume from that quote that the Leader of the Opposition does not support the
mining tax, but it does not quite say that. I assume that he does not support
it. However, it would have been an opportune moment to join with the Premier of
Western Australia to oppose it so that the public of Western Australia was —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
There is no unequivocal disappointment about the situation, when we know the
opposition's position. This is a very important point. Through you, Mr
Speaker, when I was in Japan and China, every single meeting I had with bankers
—
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION : The
meetings I had in Japan and China with bankers, investors —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
One consistent question asked by bankers, investors and government officials in
China and Japan was: what is happening in Australia with the mining tax and the
carbon tax? What I relayed back to them was that the current federal government
does not support those taxes and it would be very handy if the Leader of the
Opposition joined the Premier of Western Australia to raise his concern and,
like we did, joined the Prime Minister and opposed these taxes. It is my view
that overseas companies have already factored —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
If I can get it out.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
know the opposition does not like this particular issue; its members absolutely
hate it. The mining companies already pay payroll tax; their staff pay income
tax; and they pay royalties. The mining tax is another imposition on —
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cannington; I call you to order for the first time. We are
moving very slowly today.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I will try to wrap up.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
P.C. Tinley interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
The Liberal–National government in Western Australia opposes the mining
tax and the carbon tax. We have been doing it for years; we are consistent. We
support Western Australia, we support Western Australian jobs and we support
economic development. The government's position is unequivocal. The
quote from the Leader of the Opposition is mumbo jumbo. I do believe—I
will use the Leader of the Opposition's words—that it is a ''stupid''
tax. We oppose the tax, and I am sure that Western Australian taxpayers would
appreciate it if the Labor opposition joined with us and opposed it as well.
his very good question. I know he is a strong supporter of the mining and
petroleum industry in Western Australia, and is also a strong opponent of the
commonwealth's mining and carbon taxes. It was interesting to read The
West Australian on Monday, and I will quote from it. It is a quote from the
Leader of the Opposition, who states —
Just blindly keeping faith with
something that they didn't sell well and didn't raise much
money and was constructed fairly poorly is stupid and so that's my
message to my Federal colleagues now.
It does raise the question as to when it is appropriate for
the Leader of the Opposition to pass on such valuable information, especially —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
It might have been! Two weeks ago, the federal Leader of the Opposition gave his
in principle support to the mining —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order! Member for Warnbro, I am not surprised that you cannot hear. I call you
to order for the first time. Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the
first time. Minister, through the Chair, please.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
presume from that quote that the Leader of the Opposition does not support the
mining tax, but it does not quite say that. I assume that he does not support
it. However, it would have been an opportune moment to join with the Premier of
Western Australia to oppose it so that the public of Western Australia was —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
There is no unequivocal disappointment about the situation, when we know the
opposition's position. This is a very important point. Through you, Mr
Speaker, when I was in Japan and China, every single meeting I had with bankers
—
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION : The
meetings I had in Japan and China with bankers, investors —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
One consistent question asked by bankers, investors and government officials in
China and Japan was: what is happening in Australia with the mining tax and the
carbon tax? What I relayed back to them was that the current federal government
does not support those taxes and it would be very handy if the Leader of the
Opposition joined the Premier of Western Australia to raise his concern and,
like we did, joined the Prime Minister and opposed these taxes. It is my view
that overseas companies have already factored —
Several members interjected.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
If I can get it out.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.R. MARMION : I
know the opposition does not like this particular issue; its members absolutely
hate it. The mining companies already pay payroll tax; their staff pay income
tax; and they pay royalties. The mining tax is another imposition on —
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, member for Cannington; I call you to order for the first time. We are
moving very slowly today.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I will try to wrap up.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
P.C. Tinley interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr W.R. MARMION :
The Liberal–National government in Western Australia opposes the mining
tax and the carbon tax. We have been doing it for years; we are consistent. We
support Western Australia, we support Western Australian jobs and we support
economic development. The government's position is unequivocal. The
quote from the Leader of the Opposition is mumbo jumbo. I do believe—I
will use the Leader of the Opposition's words—that it is a ''stupid''
tax. We oppose the tax, and I am sure that Western Australian taxpayers would
appreciate it if the Labor opposition joined with us and opposed it as well.
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