House debates

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Questions without Notice

Budget

2:00 pm

Photo of Ms Julie BishopMs Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. I refer the Deputy Prime Minister to the Prime Minister’s commitment that he would take personal control of the supertax negotiations with mining companies. Given that the Prime Minister did not even turn up to yesterday’s negotiations with the three largest companies, has leadership on this issue now been handed to the Deputy Prime Minister?

Photo of Julia GillardJulia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition acting for the Leader of the Opposition for the question. Of course, what the government has said consistently about the resource super profits tax is that there would be consultation with industry. We are actually in a process that started around two years ago with the Henry tax review and with the extensive consultations undertaken for the formulation of the Henry tax review, including the receipt of around 1,300 submissions. At the moment, there is consultation involving around 80 companies. Each of those consultations is important to the government. There was consultation yesterday involving the Treasurer and the resources minister, who met with the executives of BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata. I do not propose to go into any of the details of those discussions as they are confidential, but I do note that those discussions continue with the around 80 companies involved in the consultations. The government is seriously engaged in that process. Of course, it is appropriate for the Treasurer and for the resources minister as well as the Prime Minister himself to participate in these consultations and in the various meetings that are occurring. Each of those ministers, including the Prime Minister, is participating.