Actually Mt Lyell mine is still going along nicely. The trees are coming back to the hills and the sulphur fumes are emitted somewhere else. The area also has new mines for nickel and tin.

A major question that is not asked is how is it that coal and LNG exports are going gangbusters when we face carbon tax at home? Other exports such as iron ore must be linked to coking coal exports. The buyers are countries who promised to cut carbon emissions but for some reason never got around to it. I think we should carbon tax coal and LNG exports and the importing countries can ask for a tax refund for green programs. If they can get the coal and LNG as conveniently somewhere else good luck to them.

What I'm saying that if you subject export coal and LNG to proper carbon constraints (as opposed to phony) then a big chunk comes out of the resources boom. That in turn will affect exports of metal ores notably iron ore. If carbon is a global problem then Australia is a major part of that problem

many many public servants would not have work let alone productive work if not for the mining industry. We certainly could not afford the phony climate change department.

I don't think the type of carbon in iron ore is the dirty one. It probably got to do with how the iron ore is made into steel. That is what needs changing.

"Indeed, if Cleary is correct, our governments can be charged with having been very negligent. "

The present Government can, and should, be charged with negligence for implementing the carbon (dioxide) tax. It has been conned to do so by the IPCC and its gullible hangers-on.

There is no scientific evidence that anthropogenic CO2 emissions cause dangerous global warming.

There is no economic justification for switching to renewable energy, which is at least three times more costly than coal-fired power. It is nonsensical to class the carbon tax as an economic "reform", as all sectors of the economy would be damaged and Australia would lose its comparative advantage in low-cost energy.

There will be insignificant growth in green manufacturing jobs, as it will be far cheaper to import the wind and solar components than manufacture locally.

As there is hardly a country in the world proposing to implement a carbon tax or ETS, it is deceitful to claim that Australia would be left behind should it not implement the carbon tax bills now.

The Government does not have a mandate to enact the Carbon Tax Bills.

Raycom:
"There is no scientific evidence that anthropogenic CO2 emissions cause dangerous global warming."
- Total rubbish! 99.7% of Climate scientist agree that the evidence is overwhelming...only the oil, gas and coal funded "teach the controversy" campaign has a problem with the real world evidence. Have you been taking science class from Andrew Bolt?

"renewable energy, which is at least three times more costly than coal-fired power."
- More rubbish: Solar thermal plants in Texas are *currently* producing power at about the cost of coal...but without the rights to massive pollution for free, and without the mining and transportation deaths and without the government tax freebies.

"There will be insignificant growth in green manufacturing jobs, as it will be far cheaper to import the wind and solar components than manufacture locally." So Australian workers are doomed forever? Health insurance and banks can get taxpayer support but we can *never* manufacture anything profitably? God help us if too many think like this!

I agree the carbon tax is rubbish. All we need is to shift the current fossil fuel subsidies to renewables to allow them a chance. National infrastructure has often been funded by governments and enacted by the private sector. You are suggesting that the old-school incumbents are entitled to benefits that new tech doesn't deserve.
If Coal and Gas can get massive tax subsidies, why shouldn't viable next-gen technology, especially if we can make some export $ that isn't raw ore.
RE. The article. contrast Nauru with Norway...we are following Nauru, which is pretty stupid!

Ozandy
" Total rubbish! 99.7% of Climate scientist agree that the evidence is overwhelming..."
Obviously, like so many others including the media, supposed climate scientists and gullible politicians, you have been conned by the IPCC into making the mistake of accepting assertion as scientific evidence. You should take note of the fact that the IPCC has failed to table compelling scientific evidence that proves the hypothesis that human-caused greenhouse gases cause dangerous global warming.
The climate computer models used by the IPCC to project alarmist climate outcomes, are invalid, as they fail to recognise the complexity of natural climate behaviour. Furthermore, there has not been any statistically significant global warming since at least 1998, despite CO2 emissions continuing to increase.

" More rubbish: Solar thermal plants in Texas are *
currently* producing power at about the cost of coal..."
If your claim were correct, power supply authorities would be falling over themselves to invest big in solar, which is simply not the case. In the real world, the cost of installing and operating expensive backup power supply, such as CO2-emitting gas turbines, to complement a solar system during the extensive periods when it is idle or operating below capacity, has to be included before comparing solar with coal-powered electricity prices.

"So Australian workers are doomed forever? Health insurance and banks can get taxpayer support but we can *never* manufacture anything profitably?"
If there is one certainty resulting from enactment of Australia's carbon tax, it is that Australian manufacturing will become less profitable, and much of it will be forced offshore. China produces renewable energy power components in such large quantities and at such low costs, that it would have a major cost advantage compared with low-volume Australian manufacturers.