Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I say to the member for North Sydney that he should spend some time reading the Treasury’s analysis through the independent modelling contained in the Econtech report on the impact of (a) the overall growth in the mining industry and (b) employment in the mining industry. As far as employment in the mining industry is concerned, Econtech’s independent analysis says the implementation of these reforms will result over time in a 7.7 per cent increase in employment in the mining industry.

Furthermore, the member for North Sydney goes to comments from third parties. Can I draw his attention also to the comment of the former head of the Minerals Council, David Buckingham, who said that reactions to the mining tax proposal to the government have, quite frankly, been ‘hysterical’ and:

Apoplectic responses of that kind simply don’t help the cause in any realistic way.

Furthermore, I draw his attention to a former Liberal Treasury spokesman and a former Liberal leader in this place, John Hewson, who has also come out in his attacks on the scare campaign which has been launched against the government’s RSPT. I draw the member’s attention also to the support for the government’s proposals being delivered by the former leader of the Labor Party in New South Wales, John Brogden. I draw his attention to the statement by—

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