Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

A committee of the Senate and individual senators have sought access to information for three months now in relation to key assumptions which underpin the government’s estimates for mining tax revenue. The government has for three months declined to provide that information—without any proper claim of public interest immunity and without providing a proper statement of reasons as to why the release of that information would not be in the public interest. It is not earth-shattering information that we are seeking either. The first motion relates to the commodity price, production volume and exchange rate assumptions used by the government. Changes in assumptions between the original mining tax and the revised mining tax had a significant impact on the revenue estimate outcome, yet the government continues to keep those assumptions secret. We think the release of that information is critical for the Senate and the public to be able to properly scrutinise the impact of this tax. It is information which, for example, state governments of both persuasions in Western Australia publish as a matter of course in their budget papers. I do not understand why the government is treating this as if it is a national security related state secret. As such, I commend those motions to the Senate—particularly in the context of the stated commitment from the government to a new era of openness and transparency which has been asserted by the Prime Minister on a number of occasions.

Question agreed to.

Mr President, I ask that general business notice of motion No. 6 standing in name for today, proposing an order for the production of documents on mining tax revenue estimates by state and territory, be taken as a formal motion.