Well where does the Lib/Labor Duopoly sit on the plan by Brendon Grylls & the NationalsWA to update state agreements, specifically the Mining Rental Fee?
The fee that's at the same rate its been at since the 1960s. And why lump arch enemies Liberals & Labor in as the "Lib/Labor Duopoly"? Well lumped them together because its the duopoly that's caused the rise and rise of the "deplorable" vote in Australia in recent time for the benefit of Tier 2 parties like One Nation and Shooters, Fishers & Farmer's Party.
Well start with Labor. We go to view Mark MacGowan's view back in Oct 2016.
( http://www.markmcgowan.com.au/news/statement-from-wa-labor-leader-mark-mcgowan-1242 )
“The Nationals want to introduce a mining tax that will destroy jobs without delivering any benefits to our State. The tax is a direct attack on our mining industry."
MacGowan's first 2 sentences on the matter and he's wrongly referred to the tax deductible rental fee, a cost of doing business, as a "tax".
Interesting aside, MacGowan in the same "article" says Labor will protect Royalties for Regions.
I believe that, because I think Labor would have to recognise that RfR has to stay because it should have been legislation since the 1960s. But what he did do was hint that RfR would be used for not metropolitan road funding. I thought that sort of infrastructure was paid for out of Main Roads (?) so why should it coming out of Royalties for Regions according to Labor?
Its called cost shifting. It means the figures can be distorted and RfR is completely reconfigured, not abolished. Hope not.
Colin Barnett however had a different approach, he offered to remove the production rental fee on iron ore in exchange for an upfront cash payment. Rio & BHP rejected it.
Now seeing the CME is against, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry seem against it...well only need Pastoralists & Graziers Association to agree its a bad idea and that'll be all the fully Liberal Party stalwarts aligned ;-)
Shooters Fishers & Farmers Party has a position. ( http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-03/wa-election-shooters-and-fishers-fiona-white-hartig-in-pilbara/8089764 )
"Shooters and Fishers MP Rick Mazza said the party opposed Mr Grylls proposed iron ore tax. "
Ahh its a mining rental fee not a tax though but we know where they stand at present. They oppose the rise in the rental fee.
One Nation? Hmmm this one is similarly clear but opens up other questions.
They oppose it.
One Nation’s WA spokesman Colin Tincknell has said of Brendon Grylls and the fee rise...
“His mining tax is offensive, ill-conceived and low-quality politics”
Ahh its not a tax, its a deductible fee, but in relation to the possible One Nation/SFFP preference deal in Brendon Grylls' seat of the Pilbrara...
“makes sense — we share a lot in common. Rick Mazza and I have discussed the Pilbara but also (preference deals in) other seats".
Well the SFFP & One Nation (and NationalsWA for that matter) share one thing in common, they're Tier 2 parties, but as for much else...well maybe so, maybe not but having lots in common with One Nation is not a suggested parallel I'd accept I were a SFFP candidate.
Its easy to argue that One Nation & the SFFP are more Liberal Party aligned than Labor aligned but there's more. It seems Liberal, Labor, SFFP & One Nation all continually refer to raising the Rental Lease fee from 1960's rate of 25c a tonne to $5/tonne as "a new tax"...which it is not.
Several have referred to the Mining Industry is against the rise. The CME is, Rio Tinto is, BHP is and many other members of the mining industry are pretty darn quiet. Twiggy Forrest referred to it as being dangerous in terms of our international reputation. So to retain our international reputation we must keep the 196os rate of fee level which the 2 companies didn't pay in the first 15 years.
This densely wrapped conundrum is still unravelling. How it affects WA if it goes ahead or doesn't is still clouded. How it'll affect the NationalsWA prospects is subjective, how it'll affect the SFFP & One Nation is also in dispute & open to wide ranging conjecture.
Either Colin Barnett will go close to winning the election and will be in a repeat of 2008 & have to form a coalition with the Nationals to retain power or Labor will win power.
If Labor wins, royalties for Regions will be reconfigured to cost shift a chunk of cost out of the Main Roads budget and the raising of the Mining Rental Fee is dead...something that would have been once been decidedly non-Labor Party.
If the Liberal Party goes close and needs a Nationals alliance to form government you can bet that the Nationals will be non-negotiable...it'll be raise the rental fee or no alliance.
Ironically its the Tier 2 parties like One Nation & SFFP which appear decidedly more Liberal aligned than NationalsWA aligned. Those parties might be in a funny place, helping Liberals get elected as opposed to Nationals or Labor. Why? I think it's because the minor parties are banking on opposing the "mning tax" as they all call it because then they have a perceived better chance of taking seats of Nationals whereas taking seats of Liberals or Labor might be harder.
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