Mining Super Tax penalises regional WA: Crook
Author: Tony Crook
Published on: 25-May-2010
The Nationals WA candidate for O’Connor, Tony Crook has voiced his opposition to the proposed Resource Super Profit Tax, saying WA will not get its fair share back.
Mr Crook said this new tax is another attempt to funnel profits from WA into the Eastern States, with no commitment to return funds to regional areas where the wealth is produced.
“If the Rudd Government is serious about investing in our communities in regional WA they should commit to matching Royalties for Regions, dollar for dollar,” Mr Crook said.
“Royalties for Regions is already delivering real results in regional areas, and we don’t have to impose a new tax to fund it.
The Nationals WA have called on both major parties to ‘Reverse the Rip-off’ and commit to matching Royalties for Regions, over and above current and budgeted Commonwealth expenditure in WA.
“We need an independent voice in Canberra to stand up for what is best for regional WA,” Mr Crook said.
“It suits the Liberal Party to oppose this tax right now, but what’s to stop Tony Abbott changing his mind on this because voters in New South Wales and Victoria hold more sway?”
“With both major parties, regional WA’s interests will always come second, as representatives are out voted by city-based politicians from the Eastern States.”
More than 170,000 Australians are directly employed by the resources industry, with thousands of these in regional Western Australia. Mr Crook said these employees, plus the contactors and small businesses that service the mining industry, would be hit by the new tax.
“This tax imposes an unfair penalty on our booming resources industry, and penalizes thousands of Western Australians who are dependent on the success of the mining industry,” Mr Crook said.
“Small regional towns like Kambalda, built around the resources industry, will be hit the hardest by the tax.
“The resource industry is a vital part of WA’s economy. We want to encourage and sustain growth in the sector, not penalise it.
Mr Crook said industry would do well to echo The Nationals calls for a federally matched Royalties for Regions program.
“With this State-Commonwealth partnership we could double RfR, providing a great foundation to further develop regional communities in WA.”
The Nationals are committed to representing regional WA and will work to get WA’s fair share back from Canberra.
