Nearly 10 years of a mining boom has made big changes to Australia’s economy and environment. Resource companies have made record profits. This has given Australia’s rich mining billionaires an inflated sense of entitlement. When the Resources Super Profits Tax (RSPT) was proposed we saw Gina Rinehart speaking to an anti-tax rally from the back of a truck along with fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest, who wore a high-visibility work shirt as though he was just another struggling worker. Having helped sink the RSPT (and its proponent Kevin Rudd), Rinehart went on to become the richest person in the country. But these prominent individuals are only the tip of the iceberg. The big three players are BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata. Their combined value, internationally, is more than the size of Australia’s federal budget. They were not shy of throwing their weight behind the moves to sink the RSPT. Mining interests spent $22 million on its advertising campaign against the RSPT. BHP spent $4.2 million.
See http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49930.