Hehe Dickie dear, at least you sometimes still have a sense of
humour :)

Those shareholders are indeed known to BHP and they will tell
you that they have over half a million Australian shareholders.

But never mind all that, our very own Prime Minister admits that
BHP is 40% foreign owned, in other words the rest is Australian.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/rudd-riles-bhp-as-new-tax-hits-shares-20100503-u3un.html

Now even at your age, you should be able to work out, how much
the rest is! Its hardly a "foreign" company.

qutas,
Yes the minerals do belong to us. However, ten, or even fifteen years ago, we didn't know just how much we had (QLD gas and coal I'm talking about), yet, now that the miners have spent billions upon billions exploring the country to find,identify and annalize these deposits, now, after the risky work has been done, and paid for, 'Mr DuD' wants a larger slice of the pie.

Why, because he has stuffed almost everything he has touched and he sees this a 'life line'.

It has been suggested that our miners may only return around 6% on investment if the new tax is impossed. Why bother!

I will keep saying this until the cows come home.

Tax the minerals, not the miners!

Now as for building a 'manufacturing hub' in Australia, you're kidding!

Germans are very smart and have great work ethics. Although they are loosing business to cheap chineese imports.

Aussies on the other hand are generally lazy and don't mind working their huge '38hr week', so long as it doesn't effect their social life.

Keep dreaming!

Of course Cowboy – and such profound wisdom displayed by a Hillbilly from Bareback Mountain County and aren't we blessed to have such a know-all on OLO who knows everything about nothing?

By the way Cowboy what’s the latest on the scandal that’s been under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission since last August, with allegations that BHP’s been bribing government officials in third world countries?

Ok Dickie dear, its great to see that you have conceded about
BHP ownership and that this time Mr Rudd in fact knows more
then you do.

Yes indeed, a million $ has gone missing, paid to the Cambodian
Govt at their request, for the right to look for a particular
mineral. Perhaps Combodian accounting standards are not
the best. The SEC needs something to make a noise about,
given that their lack of US law enforcement, was largely to
blame for the GFC. A million $ is frankly peanuts in that
world.

So you'd better dream up something more original dear :)

I am a bit confused about how this tax works.
Does this mean the Chinese Goverment owned Shenhua (third largest after BHP and the Queen's Rio Tinto) goes tax free?

What is to stop Rio/ BHP/ multinationals moving HQ offshore, if the tax regime is onerous, like Hardy?

Who owns the dirt we send to China?

PS a brief history of Chinese mining in the Lotus Land of Oz
http://www.chinamining.org/Investment/2010-01-20/1263950019d33542.html