COA Gentlemen stands for? Common Wealth Of Australia, one nation.
No informed person could deny pre mining NSW and to a lessor extent Victoria, propped up Queensland.
The share of taxation was lower per head of population.
It is no measure to be proud of, the need to find fault with City's/people/states other than your own.
Hasbeen your description is, well, see I have seen my country all of it.
Never saw a part that did not make me proud.
Melbournits are more Australian, more open and friendly.
Queenslanders, once north of Brisbane, well maybe a bit more are open welcoming, and if they own any thing ex Victorians or NSW men.
WA blossoms,every bit of it glows SA NT we have a great country.
Common Wealth Common people, one country united.

I'm yet to see how it will be distributed at all, let alone "evenly".
There have been mentions of infrastructure and Superannuation increases but nothing specific enough to suggest it would be evenly distributed at all.

I do not think it has anything to do with distribution, it goes to federal revenue. It got nothing to do with GST.

So down a black hole then 579, for that idiot Swan to play with before Gillard wastes it.

So Belly, if we are/want to be one nation, why not share all we have, with all the people.

Or, as I suspect, is it simply a case of, 'what's you'res is ours, but what's mine is my own'

579' the states collect royalties, not the commonwealth, and there in lies the problem for ms Gillard and Mr Swan, they can't get their hands on it, something that is bothering them greatly, as they have nothing left to waste.

Hence, they have come up with this great big new tax, a tax that may well jeopardize our future generations.

Another problem is that the pollies get paid peanuts, while the mining gurus get paid a fortune.

One option may be to sell their minerals to an off shore company, which then on sells and any profits are taxes in another country, if at all.

I believe there was a large meat company that used to process in Murgon, sell to an off shore entity for about one cent per kilo profit, pay their pittance in tax here, then make their fortune elsewhere.

What ever the case, you can bet the miners will have a plan B on the think table.

If you are saying the meat company was fudging the figures. In the 70's a victorian meat works survived quite well on 2 c/ kg profit. I think you have lost the plot Butch; royalties tax , so what arn't we allowed a share of the dirt that gets exported, they will again submit a record profit for the year. This great big tax will pale into insignificance.
As you say they will have a plan B. And that will be to charge more for our dirt.