Policy on Mining
Government mining policy is based on providing mineral exploration companies with incentives to discover and develop new mineral deposits. Obviously the incentives should be adequate but not excessively generous. In our view, the current incentives are far too generous. One has to ask oneself why Clive Palmer is a billionaire, but not the guy who invented the bionic ear. It is a bit like paying waterside workers the same pay as diplomats and rocket scientists to do labouring work.
In our view, the incentive for anyone who reports the existence of a valuable mineral deposit to the State Government should be a reward of 1 percent of the estimated value of the mineral deposit. If the value of the mineral deposit is subsequently revised upwards, the reward should also be revised upwards. The mine would need to be staked out in the traditional way. We are open to suggestion as to whether the reward should be 1 percent or some other figure.
Mines will be the property of the State Government. Once a mineral deposit is discovered, the government will be able to contract out the mining of the deposit. Safety regulations in mines should be the same as up until the 1970s. This regime on mining should also apply to coal-seam gas and artesian water.