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

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 906 standing in my name, ordering the production of documents on the minerals resource rent tax, by omitting paragraph 1(a).

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

(1) That the Senate calls on the Government to explain its continuing failure to provide monthly updates of the MRRT revenue collections as promised.

(2) That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Treasurer, no later than noon on the 30th day of every month, information relating to the MRRT revenue collected by the Government in the preceding calendar month, broken down by state or territory of collection and by commodity type.

(3) If the Senate is not sitting when a statement is ready for presentation, the statement is to be presented to the President under standing order 166.

(4) This order is of continuing effect.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to reiterate the commitment that the government has previously made on this issue and will commit to publishing monthly updates on revenue collections for resource rent taxes. However, the government will not be able to comply with this order in its current form. The first quarterly instalment of the MRRT is due later this year. Following the instalment the finance minister will publish resource tax estimates on a monthly basis.

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

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

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

I thank the Senate. The government has been ducking and weaving now for two years, trying to avoid scrutiny of its mining tax revenue estimates. There continues to be serious doubt about the revenue the mining tax will raise. The government has refused for two years to release the commodity price and production volume assumptions—information which state governments release transparently as a matter of course in their budget papers.

Of course, when faced with the potential that the Greens might vote against their mining tax legislation in the Senate earlier this year, the Prime Minister made a promise to the Greens that the government would publish monthly updates on mining tax revenue collections. The government should have known that they would not be in a position to comply and to follow through on the Prime Minister's promise. This is yet another broken promise by Julia Gillard, our Prime Minister. This is all just part of a big mining tax mess.

Question agreed to.