Big Joe says, the opposition is not negative being apposed to tax cuts, they are just being consistent. Just something else to say no to.
Butch is someways just like Arjay, he has a box full of conspiracy's under the bed.

"When they reached the mountain summit,even Clancy took a pull". The immortal lines from The Man from Snowy River would be a good suggestion for our mining industry.

This mining tax however, as designed is a very bad way to apply that pull, designed as it is to get our government out of the hole it has dug for itself, but better than none I suppose. We have to slow the growth in mining, if not actually total mining, & there may be some good arguments to do that as well.

However this deal, giving the big three a huge boost against all the lesser miners is not the right way. This just continues Labor's love affair with the largest companies in the land.

But Ludwig Mate. What is carbon pollution? I can't believe that anyone not on the gravy train could possibly believe, in view of all the recent research, climate gate, catching the IPCC out with so much propaganda with no basis & the lies, cheating & data manipulation, that global warming is true.

That being a fact, what is your carbon pollution, & why does it not occur in China when they burn our coal?

So the fact is, coal is good, get that right for one. Then mate you pull this old hairy peak oil rubbish. Recent exploration, & harvesting techniques has proven more oil under North America, than the known reserves in the rest of the world. Add to that the gas from fracking, & we have centuries of energy. Obama is resisting the exploitation of this resource, because most of his campaign donors are in the alternative energy con, mostly funded by the US taxpayer, courtesy of the same Obama.

So far there is not a single alternative energy system that is even vaguely as efficient as coal & gas. They only survive while funded by huge subsidies from the poor long suffering tax payer.

A bit less wishful thinking by green tinged folk would save the rest of us a lot of money we just can't afford to continue wasting.

Ludwig, yes, I am against the mining tax, as I see it as unfair.

The wealth does not belong to Australia, it belongs to the states, more so, it belongs to the towns where the minerals are deposited.

These now 'boom towns' were but a spec on the map, amd while some knew of them, they had never been there, nor did they have any desire to do so.

In other words, they had no interest until Rudd decided there were fruits for the picking.

Finally, if you wish to distribute state taxes, nationally, then all state taxes must be evenly distributed, not just the mining revenues.

In my view, a levy on the miners wages, paid by the mines, used to subsidize non mining would be a better choice, especially given that the workers come from all ove the country, not just the mining towns.

Now as for the carbon tax, it's just another money grab and, so long as the tax is paid, by all means keep polluting.

An ETS would be much smarter.
having said this, emissions are caused by burning fossil fuels, among other causes, so, it doesn't matter where they are burned, the emissions are created.
so unless we have some invisible barrier, that stops the likes of Chinas emissions leaving China, what's the diff.

My other concern is that we produce about 1 or 2% of the overall emissions, so why the massive tax?

Finally, if we ceased to exist, the rest of the planet would hardly know, at least not until their boats return home empty.

I hope this clarifies my position and, as always thanks for the input.

Of cause , I remain ready and willing to be proven wrong.

BTW, today's mining projects are not the ones that are of concern..

The Dark Side of Carbon
As interest in Earth's changing climate heats up, a tiny dark particle is stepping into the limelight: black carbon. Commonly known as soot, black carbon enters the air when fossil fuels and biofuels, such as coal, wood, and diesel are burned. Black carbon is found worldwide, but its presence and impact are particularly strong in Asia.

Black carbon, a short-lived particle, is in perpetual motion across the globe. The Tibetan Plateau's high levels of black carbon likely impact the region's temperature, clouds and monsoon season.

Image Credit: NASA

Iron Ore mining belongs to AU as a whole, any reason to say otherwise has long past it's use by date.
All the states get is royalty.
To say the tax is unfair or unsustainable is somewhat petty. The extent of this mining is enormous, and getting bigger.
The mining industry owes AU fair and just taxes for the exploitation of natural wealth.
As you observe the iron ore bodies are taken of the surface and AU will be left with the real mining.

"The bottom line is that atmospheric carbon dioxide acts as a thermostat in regulating the temperature of Earth," Lacis said. "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has fully documented the fact that industrial activity is responsible for the rapidly increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. It is not surprising then that global warming can be linked directly to the observed increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and to human industrial activity in general."