The Senate has today blocked the repeal of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, to help ensure communities continue to benefit from the extraction of Australia's natural resources.
Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne says the Mining Tax repeal was just another item on the Abbott government's destructive agenda, and a blatant favour to the Prime Minister's big business mates.
"Who would this repeal serve?" asked Senator Milne. "Not the people of Australia, but the most profitable mining companies.
"The big three mining companies - BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata - are on track for a $30 billion after-tax profit for the year.
"The Abbott government is for the big end of town - make no mistake.
"Instead of helping communities take a fairer share of these profits, the Abbott government's mining tax repeal would have put the tax burden back on workers earning less than $37,000 each year.
"Taxing the super contributions of these workers would put a big dent in the retirement savings of 3.6 million Australians and would affect one in two working women, and that's just one example of the impacts of this repeal.
"The Greens will never allow the Abbott government to boost the profits of a few, at the expense of measures that benefit so many, and are vital for our future economic success," said Senator Milne.
"The Greens' position on the mining tax has never wavered. We want a mining tax in the form it was recommended by the Henry tax review. We believe that instead of repealing it at the behest of big business, this tax should be strengthened.
"Voters in Western Australia have an important role to play in keeping a strong Greens voice in the Senate, to stand up against Mr Abbott's short-sighted favours to the big end of town."
