On Thursday, 23 May 2024, I asked the Premier why Labor won't raise baseline mining royalties.
You can read my question and the Premier's response below or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings (Hansard).
Mr BERKMAN: My question is to the Premier. The government’s so-called progressive coal royalties will stop collecting any significant additional revenue this year, leaving Queensland’s budget billions of dollars worse off. If the Premier agrees that mining companies should pay their fair share, why won’t the government raise the base rate for royalties?
Mr MILES: I thank the member for Maiwar for his question. It goes to the heart of what we on this side have been talking about this week, that is, making sure that multinational coalmining companies, when they are making super profits, pay a fair share of those profits to the state in the form of progressive coal royalties. We then use those coal royalties to deliver cost-of-living relief to Queensland households, to fund our schools and hospitals and our Big Build construction program—a $90 billion investment in infrastructure right across this great state.
We have outlined today how we will legislate those progressive coal royalties as the minimum amount of coal royalties going forward because we know those opposite have done a secret deal with the Queensland Resources Council and multinational mining companies to cut those royalties in the future. We know that is why they kept their lobbying meetings secret. We know that the industry has a very clear expectation from the LNP that if they help get them elected they will turn around and reduce the amount of tax they have to pay. That would have an even more devastating impact on the budget, because not only have they said they will cut revenue; they have also said they will cut debt in their debt reduction plan and they have said they will spend an extra $6 billion on the Sunshine Coast direct rail. The only way you can do those three things together is with massive cuts to spending—enormous cuts to spending. They will not be honest about that right now; they were not in 2011 either. We know that once they are elected they will come good on the secret deals they have made with resource companies to reduce coal royalties, reducing the capacity of the government to support households—
Mr BERKMAN: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order.
Mr SPEAKER: Pause the clock. Please resume your seat, Premier. What is your point of order?
Mr BERKMAN: The question went to the government’s refusal to raise the base rate for royalties. I would ask whether the Premier might be brought back to the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Maiwar. There is a particular element to the question, Premier, but I believe you have been relevant today. I call the Premier.
Mr MILES: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the member for Maiwar for his point of order. What we have very clearly in this House now is a clear difference and a clear thing that is at risk in October, because on this side of the House we are taxing multinational coal companies and using those taxes to deliver for families while those opposite have a secret deal to get rid of them.