Remember, this is the woman that, when the GFC first hit, was on Radio National's PM program quoting thoroughly discredited Reaganite "trickle down economics" as the solution.

Australia's resources are finite and, if we don't dig them up today, they will still be there tomorrow - and probably at a higher value because other nations will have depleted theirs. (Of course, whether the energy to dig up anyone's resources in the future will exist is another question.) If we had a non-growing population then we would be far less concerned about rapidly expanding our mining base.

I can't see the problem.
Wealth redistribution in lieu of wealth creation worked for Greece.

Mining giant Xstrata announced it would cancel all exploration activity in the Mount Isa and Cloncurry regions of Queensland, which has put a cloud of uncertainty over jobs and the health of the regional economy.

I think that when we see through the Xstradas of this world and all the negative comments from BHP and from Rio Tinto (70% overseas owned), we should institute an arrangement in that if they do play politics, which the feckless Abbott seems to be arranging and do not proceed with programs in place at the moment, then they stand to have those leases removed from their care and opened up for others to take over the exploration and development.
Now that should shut them up.
These resources have been ripped from Australia soil for years and will continue to be if Julie Bishop has her way, coming as she does from the state that does most of the 'ripping' and which has never paid its fair share of the ever diminishing resources owned by all Australians, not just Julie Bishop's state and the monolithic BHP and Rio Tinto. Now we have a new leader of the bunch, Fortesque and his new found wealth who has become one of the wealthiest men in the country based on his reserves, which are really our reserves, something he seems to forget, conveniently.
As for Julie Bishop in her naive emphasis on 'spin', let us wait and see the spin she applies to fighting an election on behalf of the miners of this country when ignoring all the voters who will benefit form such a tax distribution. Just one more example of the knave-like Abbott falling into a hole of his own making. An alternative PM, hardly.

The ideas expressed in this article are deficient.
Resources are a capital asset. Depleting those assets quickly to pay for current consumption of imports will lead to longer term problems in an economy where much manufacturing industry has been largely destroyed.
A good example is the steel industry. After WW2, at the initiative of farsighted leaders such as Ben Chifley and Essington Lewis, Australia developed a white goods industry, a substantial fabricating capacity, an automotive manufacturing industry and major infrastructure initiatives and as a consequence our steel industry expanded.
The first two of these industries have either disappeared or have shrunk substantially as imports of whitegoods, rail wagons, reinforcing steel, fasteners and such like has increased. If the automotive industry disappears the only significant flat products market available to Bluescope will be roofing and similar sheeting.
Where will that leave our heirs when our raw materials have all been exported? Do we wish to go back to being boundary riders along the squatter's fences?
Pinning our future on exporting unprocessed materials is stupid but that is what BHP-Billiton's and RIO's present leaders want this country to do. If the super profits tax leads to some diminution in their raw materials activities and some revival of export replacement manufacturing then this country will benefit.

'Wealth redistribution rather than wealth creation is the Labor way.' It is also the way to a healthier, happier, better educated society - read 'The Spirit Level' for the evidence, it is compelling.

Australia's approach to its resources reminds me of someone who has inherited a bucket of uncut diamonds, and decides to sell them as quickly as possible as-is, rather than cutting and polishing them and making them into jewelery, worth many times more. What on earth will we do when the iron ore and coal has all been sent to China, and we have spent the income buying Chinese goods?

Spot on Candide.

Redistribution of wealth is about closing the gap - it is not about strangling business enterprise despite all the red faced bluster and carry on we are seeing from the mining companies.

What about the value of labour and the value of the primary product. And most importantly that the value of those minerals is recognised and the owners (the Australian people and government) are appropriately paid for those resources.

What other owner/wholesaler sells his products at a loss so that the retailer can take all the spoils.

This is not the same as making business unviable as the detractors would have it, profits are still there to be made. It would be madness and counterproductive to eradicate profit as there would be no incentive - typical scaremongering tactics.