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Greens: Use the mining tax to pay for the NBN

Miners should pay for their own infrastructure and their taxes should pay for major projects

The Australian Greens’ deputy leader, Senator Christine Milne, has suggested using funding from the Government’s mining tax to fund public infrastructure projects like the National Broadband Network.

Milne made the comments in an interview with ABC News Breakfast. According to the deputy leader, the NBN is a major step towards having a “low carbon economy” and the mining tax is a good way to pay for it.

“Instead of spending this money on infrastructure for the mining industry, the mining industry should pay for its own infrastructure,” she said. “Money that is raised from that tax should be rolled out in infrastructure that builds that future.”

Apart from the NBN, Milne nominated smart energy grid technology, renewable energy systems and high-speed rail networks as big-ticket items to spend mining tax dollars on.

But a spokesperson for the Senator was keen to note that the Greens supported the NBN, even if there was no revenue from a mining tax.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: ABC, ABC, etwork

Comments

1

Hooble

Mon 02/08/2010 - 18:45

Have to agree,the NBN should be built ,and believe it will generate income and the taxpayer will get back the cost of something really important to this country.

2

Phil

Mon 02/08/2010 - 22:24

I don't understand the fuss over spending on the NBN - 6% of my tax dollars goes to defence, while only 4% goes toward infrastructure. The defence dept wants $300 billion over the next 10 years, compared to ~$26 billion of NBN investment from the public purse. Given Australian soil hasn't been attacked since WW2, I know where I can justify the money.

I agree with the Greens that there should be more infrastructure spending, but instead of arguing over who gets robbed to pay for it, how about recognising that in the grand scheme of things it's not an exceptional amount of money to invest in our future - just get it done.

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