Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am also grateful for the opportunity this afternoon to make a contribution on these bills today, because their provisions give effect to a very important aspect of public policy for my home state of Western Australia—namely, the exploration development incentive.

This is consistent with a promise the coalition made prior to the 2013 federal election, to provide an incentive to undertake exploration for mineral resources. I think all of us in this place have an understanding of just how important the mining sector is to our economy, although the Greens never miss an opportunity to try and damage that sector. I note, disappointingly, that they are opposing this legislation today.

Together with the Labor Party, the Greens spent six years finding ways to frustrate Australia's mining and resources sector. Their showpiece, of course, was the shambolic, discredited and now, thankfully, abolished mining tax. Labor's mining tax failed to go close to raising—