If there was some broad-based, phased-in, mineral based price tax/royalty that went into an untouchable, national sovereign wealth fund, then I would agree in-p

If there was some broad-based, phased-in, mineral based price tax/royalty that went into an untouchable, national sovereign wealth fund, then I would agree in-principle to a resources rent tax. As for the regional areas investment, I broadly think that the royalties-for-regions that has been implemented in WA is the way to increase regional investment. What I do not agree with, is taxing the profits of one industry to fill up general revenue lost through bad government spending. You might support it now, but once the pattern is established, any industry might be next, just for doing too well. And that's a bad principle, and against all concepts of fairness and equity. If the government wants more tax money from mining, then they should go to the miners and say 'where can we invest to lower your cost of capital, increase your productivity and increase your competitiveness on the world market'. You'd get double the amount of taxes from a doubling in size of the mining companies, and a lot more employment, to boot.